An old story. Edited too many times.

This will be the last time I look at this story. Once published, that's it for me.

Rejected by his parents because of his sexuality, Tyler flees to an abandoned house owned by his family in the country. There, Tyler discovers the presence of a black cat. But this cat is not ordinary cat and Tyler is about to find out things are going to get a whole lot more complicated. 

Lannor is not your average cat, he's not even from the planet. Sent to earth by his mother to understand what love truely means, Lannor stuggles through many years. Losing those he loves, until he meets Tyler does Lannor realise what was missing from his life.

 Among a multitude of small planets, Yoorana’s pristine blue waters surrounding lush green islands stood out as one of the more striking worlds in the distant galaxy. Exotic gardens and buildings majestically carved from marble exhibited beauty beyond compare. The inhabitants of Yoorana were an exquisite life form, considered elites among the other planets. The Yooranian’s took pride in being above all others and rarely left their planet.

Blessed with the use of magic to preserve life, the habitants of Yoorana devoted their lives to love. Aware of the other universes, their arrogance meant they did not interfere nor visit these worlds. Rather, they spent their endless days doing what they pleased within the splendour and grace of their own world. However, occasions existed when a Yooranian did leave. Curiosity, something Yooranian’s were renown for, often saw older generations travel the galaxy exploring different worlds. Then, there were times when Yooranian’s left for reason’s not their own. This rarely happened but when it did, the reasons were often poor and misunderstood, as was the situation Lannor found himself in.

Sunlight streamed through the large stain glassed mosaics roof in the centre of the circular bedroom and a multitude of colours reflected around the stark white walls and floors. In the large bed, the only item in the room, lay a young naked man of twenty-two. Half awake, the thin sheen of perspiration over his body and the devilish nature of the bed evidence of his recent undertaking. His long black hair fell softly around his angular face, lids fluttering sleepily over his bright green eyes.

“Lannor, darling are you in here?”

Lannor took a moment to register the interruption before glancing toward the archway and his mother, Moyra, standing in the entrance. Her long ebony hair hung down around her knees and her white silk gown clung firmly petite figure. Much shorter than Lannor’s six foot two, her form was never to under estimated, Moyra was a powerful woman. Lannor was fortunate to inherit his mother’s hair and beauty and his father’s height and flawless skin. Between both parents they had produced a magnificent son, if Lannor didn’t mind saying so himself.

Unashamed of his current state, Lannor draped the silk white sheet over his lower body as his mother approached the bed.

“There you are, where’s Marissa?”

Lannor’s expression indicated he didn’t know where Marissa was nor did he care.

“Wasn’t she with you?” Moyra asked.

Lannor realised where his mother was going with her questioning. Lannor sat up, adjusted the pillows behind his back and leaned against the headboard before replying.

“She was. I invited her to stay, but she declined. I’m waiting for Shelly to arrive now.”

With a look that indicated her dislike, Moyra’s glare pieced Lannor.

Lannor rolled is eyes, undeterred by his mothers reproach.

“Lannor, Marissa is in tears saying you do not love her.”

“Here we go again.” Lannor sighed. “Mother, I do love Marissa. I tell her all the time.”

“But you are waiting for Shelly now.”

“I love Shelly too. I see nothing wrong with that.”

Moyra shook her head and came to sit down on the bed.

“Lannor that’s not love you have for these women. It’s only pleasure.”

Shocked by his mother’s words, Lannor shook his head, and replied, “No mother I do love them. I can’t believe you would think I would not love them. I would never share my bed with them otherwise.”

“Lannor listen to your self. This is not love; this is not a devotion to a person whom you would do anything for. I worry you will never understand love.”

“Mother, why must you continually badger me about this. If a person loves me isn’t it in my nature to return that love.”

“That is not how love works, Lannor.”

“According to you, that is not how love works. But my willingness to love anyone should not be suggested as wrong.”

“Once you have experienced a love you would die for, only then will you understand.”

“Love is not something you box up and present as a neat little package. Love is unending, always growing and changing. My ability to love more than one woman should not qualify as not understanding love.”

“But Lannor, these woman you love do not want to share you with anyone else. They want you exclusively. If you were to choose one and make them your life.”

“Choose one. Are you forcing me to choose?”

“I’ve spoken to your father, your reputation is damaging our family name. You must understand Lannor; love is a binding emotion that seals us to people. It is our way and will always be our way. You saying you love these women is nothing more than desire and lust talking.”

“No.” Lannor grabbed the silk sheet tight around his waist as he knelt on the bed, hovering over his mother. “Don’t tell me what I feel is desire and lust. Do you think I would bed these women if I didn’t love them?”

Moyra, undeterred by Lannor’s brash behaviour, stood and faced her son.

“As someone who discovered true love and understands the potential it has on our magic and our existence–I will tell you this Lannor. What you have is not love.”

Moyra shook her head, a mixture of sadness and resolution flashed across her face.

“I’m sorry Lannor, I hoped to talk sense into you but I made my decision. Until you understand true love, I banish you from here.”

With a sharp intake of breath, Lannor gaped at his mother. “You don’t mean that.”

“I’m sorry son.”

It happened before Lannor had time to respond. The change in his surroundings was instant.

Panic immediately set in and Lannor found his ability to adjust to his new environment impossible. For starter’s his perspective of the room appear wrong. Either the room was enormous or Lannor was incredibly small. It wasn’t until Lannor went to move did he understand. The two black paws in front of him momentarily brought confusion until Lannor realised he had transformed into a feline. This explained the size of the room but not the reason Lannor was now a cat.

With stumbled movements and the inability to gasp the motion of being feline, Lannor fell to the floor as he tripped over his paws. Lannor’s head clashed with the floor with a large clunk and he stared out across the dark polished floor’s contemplating his next move. Somewhere within the house there were sounds of other people and this brought on an anxiety of being found before Lannor was ready. Determined to master his new form, Lannor worked on understanding how to function as a cat, while moving around the room. The bedroom appeared smaller than Lannor’s and less inviting. With no glass ceiling and only two small windows covered in drapes on one wall allowed only a small portion of sunlight into the room. It made the room appeared dark and drab and Lannor found it depressing.

The bed in the centre of the room wasn’t near as large as Lannor’s and a small wardrobe and chest of drawers were the only other furniture in the room. The only attraction was the fireplace. Created with slithers of slate carefully stacked on top of each other to create a beautifully crafted masterpiece, a large oak mantle several inches thick finished the look. The floral wallpaper on all four walls were extremely distasteful and the floral bedspread not much better. Whoever decorated the room had no experience in matching colour.

When Lannor became confident he’d mastered being feline, only then did he venture beyond the bedroom.

The dark polished floorboards continued into the wide-open hall. At each end of the hall, two long narrow windows allowed natural light brighten the area. Lannor spied two more doors down the hall and listened before he ventured out to investigate. Movement within the room closest to the landing alerted Lannor to the presence of something. Warily, he entered the hall before darting towards the middle door. Small white tiles on the floor with floral wallpaper on the walls, the purpose of the room became clear the moment Lannor glanced around the door.

A large claw-footed bath sat against the wall to the right of the room, under a long horizontal window high above the wall. Lannor entered further and discovered a toilet and sink behind the door. In the far corner to the left a tall wooden pedestal stood with a large vase of mixed flowers on top. Although the single window gave little in the way of an external view, it drew in much of the outside light, making the room warmer then expected. Lannor sat on the heated tiled floor, enjoying suns rays.

From the room Lannor had yet to investigate humming pricked his ears, drawing his curiosity. Cautiously, Lannor entered the hall and made towards the last room. As Lannor reached the landing more sounds downstairs rose up and he looked through the rails but saw no one. Movement within the other room startled Lannor, as he flinched ready to dart away. When all went quiet again, he pondered whether to investigate or not. Elements of danger teetered around the surface of Lanner’s situation, yet curiosity once more got the better of him. Tentatively, he approached the doorframe and cautiously glanced into the room.

The sparse bedroom Lannor came from did not compare to the second bedroom. Covered in pink and white linen and lace, the sight made Lannor cringe. No corner within the room had not been filled with something resembling that of a child. On the single bed against the wall, covered in a white lace bedspread, dolls and bears of every size and colour covered the bed. A rocking chair at the end of the bed stood covered in a pink overthrow and dark pink silk cushions. In the middle of the room, on a multi-coloured pink rug, sat a small girl around five years of age.

Pale yellow ringlet hair pulled back from her face with a pale pink ribbon. The pink dress she wore trimmed with lace and ribbons. The white socks on her feet where knee length and dirty at the toes. Occupied with the collection of dolls in front of her, Lannor stared in disgust. Was his mother joking? Had she sent him there in the hope this child would grow into someone Lannor might learn to experience the love he would die for. At this thought Lannor’s panic grew. It would take years before the child became a woman. Did that mean he would be forced to remain in the house for that duration? Lannor would rather remain in his feline form than tolerate years of being around children. Disgusted by his situation, Lannor seethed at the injustice placed on him. How dare his mother banish him from their home? Who was she to decide what he did with his life? Those women came to him and yet he was being punished.

Consumed by anger, Lannor did not notice the child stopped playing until tiny hands came around his body. The world turned upside down as Lannor panicked and hissed loudly. A sharp whack on his head, followed by, “Bad kitty”, only enraged Lannor more as he continued to hiss while twisting his body to free himself. However, undeterred, the child squeezed him harder to her giving Lannor no choice but to stop struggling or be strangled.

“What a beautiful cat you are. I wonder where you have come from. Let’s go ask mummy if we can keep you.”

The child continued to put pressure around Lannor as she made her way down the stairs. Every bounce going down made Lannor cry out, until they reached the bottom and he lay limp in her arms. Almost tempted to transform to teach the child a lesson, it was the sound of a female voice nearby that stopped him.

“Amelia, what are you doing?”

Lannor’s state of distress increased as he began feeling lightheaded and dizzy. The child turned right at the bottom of the stairs and made her way down a corridor to a door on her left. The bright lime green kitchen stunned the eyes before one realised only the cupboard doors were in that colour. The rest of the kitchen was a bright white.

“Mummy, I found a cat. Can we keep him?”

Concerned only with his own discomfort, Lannor ignored the approach of the other person, contemplating a manner of escaping. Not until prised from the child’s hands did Lannor glance at the woman. Lannor’s breath caught. The soft caress of her hands over his body. The lavender scent upon her skin. The red handkerchief tied over her head, holding golden hair back from her face. All this enthralled Lannor. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever beheld.

“Now where did you come from?” The woman asked as she gently rubbed under Lannor’s chin and he relaxed in her hands and purred loudly.

“You big softy.” She chuckled as Lannor closed his eyes and nuzzled his head into her hand.

“I think he likes you mummy.”

“I think he does too Amelia. I suppose you can keep him, but don’t let you father see him. You know he does not like pets.”

“I promise mummy. I will keep him in my room. Thank you.”

“Why don’t you both go play upstairs and I will call you down when supper is prepared.”

The sudden pull away from soft hands into tiny aggressive ones once more triggered Lannor’s annoyance. Flung over Amelia’s shoulder like a baby, humiliation burned deep until Amelia turned to leave the room and Lannor caught her mother watching. Her long plain yellow cotton dress covered her from head to toe and hugged her figure tightly emphasising her well-rounded body. Briefly, before being lugged from the kitchen, Lannor glimpsed a loving smile upon her face. She was everything Lannor longed in a woman and determined to have her; Lannor would show his parents he could find the love they longed him to have.

By the end of Lannor’s first day he knew all he needed to know about the family and where he was. Their home built on an acre of land, located outside a large town, still contained the remnants of newly painted walls. Unsure the planet he was on, Lannor suspected it one of three, with a strong suspicion it being earth. As children they were taught about the planets within the alternate universe, the species of creatures who inhabit the planets, their mannerisms and the way they lived. This led Lannor to believe he was right about his location. It made sense his mother would send him to earth. Any other planet and Lannor wouldn’t need to be concerned with shape shifting.

As for the occupants of the house he now dwelled in, Lannor found them all fascinating. The woman of the house, Margaret, carried a carefree, happy nature about her. It did not surprise Lannor how she affected anyone within her vicinity. Her bright, infectious smile radiated with love and kindness. The man of the house, John, spent many a day away from the home. Where he went and what he did, Lannor never bothered to learn. With John absent, it gave Lannor more time to spend with Margaret.

Then there was Amelia. There was no end to the gifts or treats she received. Daddy’s little girl had the run of the house, much to Lannor’s disgust. More than often, Lannor hid in the parent’s bedroom, under the bed. The one room Amelia was forbidden to enter, it offered Lannor a much-needed sanctuary. It also became the place where Margaret would retire to at the end of day. Lannor would venture out and lay on top of the bed as he watched her prepare for bed. There were nights when John did not return home and after several months of watching and waiting, Lannor finally made his presence know.

There was little difficulty in convincing Margaret to share the pleasures of the body with Lannor. Once his secret revealed to her, Margaret flourished into a passionate, fiery woman. As Lannor’s fondness for Margaret grew every day, his desire to comfort and embrace her blinded him from everything else around them.

Lannor never saw the struggle Margaret had with his presence, nor the slow decline of her marriage. They were in love and that was all that mattered. Their bodies desire for each other burned memories of tender moments during dark evenings. Skin against skin, they melted into lovers embrace and their times together etched deeply into memories of eternal love.

Lannor woke to the relentless rain against the bedroom windows, cold drafts throughout the house rattling unsecured floorboards and a darkened room covered in a decade of dust. Faded dreams pieced Lannor’s heart as he wondered - how long ago had that memory been? How much time had passed since Lannor first arrived at the hellish place only to watch the ones he loved grow old, go mad or worst die before his eyes? Why would his mother leave him there to witness and experience such sorrow and sadness? Was it not enough to lose all those he had loved over the years? Time and time again he watched the young women walk into the house, love them, then lose them. The pain of endless torment could not have been what his mother envisioned for him. What Lannor was to understand; he did not know.