In the morning, I was curled around myself next to Griselda’s warm stomach when I heard humans approaching. I stood and prodded her to wakefulness, but I needn’t have bothered since the next moment, there came some loud cracks against the side of the cabin. I feared the whole thing would collapse like the crates and boxes I had used for shelter in the alley, but the cottage held strong.

Griselda rose quickly, throwing on her robe and slipping into her boots. Another clatter was heard against the house. This time, she muttered something under her breath and made a shooing motion with her hands. I heard the grunts of several humans and then several ran up to the door, something thudded on the door step and they ran off. I stared at the door on high alert. Leonore squawked a few times. We both agreed this could be dangerous. Griselda waved her hands in circles before approaching the door and opened it. I followed closely behind watching between her legs.

The door opened to reveal what looked like a small human wriggling on our door step. I went forward and sniffed it, but it was clearly alive with only a little blood leaking from it. Why had the humans left one of their own here? I looked up at Griselda and meowed. She looked down at me.

“Why, indeed!” she exclaimed. She easily picked up the small human and placed her on her sleeping shelf and began to remove the ropes around her. The small human shook with fear, her black eyes wide, and she flinched each time Griselda touched her. Her brown cheeks glistened from her tears.

“Don't worry, girl. I’m not going to hurt you,” she finally told her when her whimpering didn’t stop. It took some time, but the girl was finally freed from her bonds.

She shrank into herself and still shook as she took in Griselda and our cottage. Even Leonore moved down onto his perch on the table to get a better look. Griselda sat down next to her and I hopped up on the other side of her.

“You- you’re not going to hurt me?” the girl asked, her voice shaking.

“Why would I hurt you?” asked Griselda.

“You're a w-witch!” she explained.

“Ah, is that what you’ve learned in the village? And those boys throwing stones at my cottage, they hoped, what? That I would turn you into a newt or something?” she asked.

“I suppose…” the girl said, looking at her dirty hands in her lap. Griselda responded with her tinkling laughter.

“Well, you needn’t worry. I’m all out of newt conversion spells. But I can do something about these rope burns,” she indicated her wrists which were red and bleeding in places. She stood and went to her shelves and pulled out a few small jars. Then, she looked her over more critically. The girl was dirty, her hair was matted and she didn’t have any coverings on her feet.

“Hmm. Let’s get you to the stream and get you cleaned up, alright? I have something that will fit you and I could make you some doe skin slippers, too. What do you think? You want to stay with an old witch a while?” Griselda winked at the girl, smiling. The girl finally stopped crying and her shoulders relaxed from the sides of her face as she started to look all around the cottage.

“Can I pet your cat?” she asked, looking at me. I arched my back, suddenly concerned about the small human and that she thought I was the property of a human.

“Shadow makes decisions on that. You can try,” she teased. The girl shot out a hand and pet my head to my tail making me arch my back even more. Then she scratched behind my ears and I leaned in to her. She laughed too and then jumped up off the shelf.

“I can stay?” the girl asked.

“Well, won’t your parents miss you?” Griselda asked her.

“I don’t have any parents. I’m the smallest one at the orphanage so the other kids mess with me,” she explained. “Especially the mean ones.”

“Hmm, well… I could use some help from time to time. A small person might be able to get into some of the places I need to get some special herbs and…”

“Oh, I can do it! I don’t mind small spaces!” the girl responded, eagerness shining in her eyes.

“Well… I don’t know. It’s already a bit crowded what with Shadow, and Leonore… I suppose you could stay, but you have to give me one thing,” said Griselda crossing her arms in front of her and frowning. The girl frowned back.

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“What is that?”

“Your name, child,” Griselda said. The girl started to speak, but Griselda held her hand up before the girl could say more. “Your name, your true name, is a powerful thing. Don’t give it away easily. Once I know your name, I will be able to put spells on you, but also teach you. Magic is not for the light-hearted, dear. Perhaps we could just get you cleaned up and you can think about it staying here more permanently.”

The girl paused and her enthusiasm to stay with us seemed to diminish.

“I… I’m sorry…” she started.

“Don't be. For now, we will call you Dora, since you landed on my door step. You will always have a place here if you desire it. It’s good that you think carefully about what I have said. Very smart. Come, we will get you cleaned up,” Griselda declared. She held out her hand for the little Dora and grabbed her basket in which she had already placed some supplies. They went out the door and Leonore and I followed.

Leonore and I watched as the girl stripped and splashed in the creek before finally agreeing to clean her body and hair with special soap Griselda had brought. Then, she dried off the little girl, dressed her in a clean frock and combed out the tangles in her hair. Griselda braided it in stripes along her head. It was shiny black now that it was clean shimmering like Leonore’s feathers. When she was done, Dora couldn’t stop looking at her reflection.

“Wow! I’m almost as pretty as Shadow!” she exclaimed. I bristled, but I was pleased she had at least thought well of me.

“Oh, Shadow prefers to be thought of as strong and powerful. And I agree. One’s appearance is fleeting and can easily be changed. One’s heart, on the other hand stays true throughout life,” Griselda explained.

“Is Shadow powerful?” she asked. I arched my back and meowed, showing my many sharp teeth. Griselda chuckled.

“Oh, yes! Shadow, will you go catch us something nice for our dinner? We’ll need something larger than usual, so…” she moved her hands in front of her and light seemed to emanate from her, then it was like she threw a ball of light at me. Before I had a chance to dodge it, it hit me and when I meowed in indignation, a roar erupted from my mouth.

The little girl jumped back from me, making me perk my ears up at her. I went to step closer and realized my paw was huge now. I looked into the water and saw, not a cat like I remembered, but huge panther head. I bent my strong shoulders and lapped at the creek creating large ripples in the surface as I drank.

When Leonore squawked at me from a low hanging branch, I turned and leaped at him with a small growl pretending to swipe at him. He spooked off his branch with an unbecoming squawk which satisfied me. Griselda and Dora’s laughter sang over me.

“Go on, Shadow. Have fun, but the spell won’t last long and if you don’t catch something we’ll all go hungry!” she scolded.

I was eager to flex my muscles. I had been able to leap higher than I’d ever done before, so I tore up the creek bank, digging my claws into the ground surging easily over the uneven terrain. I decided to venture away from the cottage to see if I could find some rabbits or a deer. I thought briefly of finding those other panthers in the cave, but that seemed unnecessary. Besides, I didn’t want to go hungry tonight.

Along with my size, my senses seemed sharper. I quickly found a deer trail which I followed until I smelled a rabbit burrow. I quickly caught a couple of good size hares, then carried them back to the cottage loping easily and enjoying my large size.

Griselda seemed to be showing Dora around her garden. She met me at the prepping table as I dropped my kills. I sat and watched as she showed Dora how to skin and dress the hares.

“The fur can make a nice lining for your slippers if you like,” she told Dora who was watching very carefully. “Here, have your fill, Shadow,” she told me, as she cleaned my kill, indicating the entrails on the ground away from the cottage.

I was fiercely hungry, so I ate most of it leaving some bits for Leonore who was eyeing me from a nearby tree branch. When I was done, I lumbered into the cottage and plopped down near the hearth. Dora eyed me a little fearfully which satisfied me greatly. I cleaned the blood from my mouth and paws. When I yawned, a small roar escaped my mouth making Dora jump. But next I knew, I was back to my normal size.

Griselda put the two hares to roast over the fire and I watched as they dribbled fat into the flames making them stutter and lick higher. It sounded like Griselda was teaching Dora some minor magic mostly to keep clean and keep her hair tidy, but also to repel bullies and heal cuts and bruises.

I had a whole hare to myself which barely satisfied me although it was more food than I’d ever eaten before. Griselda and Dora shared some vegetable soup with the other hare added in. When Dora got sleepy, Griselda settled her onto her bed shelf with an extra pillow and blanket. Then, she worked on making a pair of slippers for Dora. She mumbled some incantation and the fresh hare skins seemed to lose all smell and dry out. She worked with her hands and tools as well as a few other spells until she had completed new foot coverings for Dora.

I sniffed at them with interest. Too bad they were not good to eat. I was still a little peckish. I looked at Griselda. She smiled, picked me up and placed me in her lap and began rubbing my head and neck the way I liked.

“I know, Shadow. Being a big panther takes a lot of energy. But that’s all the food we have in the cottage just now. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow for more,” she explained. Before long, she banked the fire, pinched out the candles and got onto the sleeping shelf behind Dora with her own pillow and blanket. I had a harder time finding a spot, but settled for getting in front of Dora who curled around me and even put her arm over me. I thought it might feel constricting, but it felt warm and comfortable.