The Freedom of Slavery

Okay, this chapter may be a little confusing because of the times, like the end of the last chapter, but there is a reason for it and the time thing will only be used sparingly afterwards. Otherwise, enjoy, I am working on the next chapter.

*

They arrived a half hour later at a much quieter part of the market, and she found that they had as great a selection of minerals as Earth did, they were just extremely different. For one, most of them glowed or levitated, or both.

Some of them made Alza want to move away from them as fast as possible, which made her bell ring. When her Masters noticed this, they chided her gently, but picked her up and moved her quickly from the stones' influence.

They stopped by a merchant selling a wide variety of stones, but none of them gave her the creeps, so she stepped closer to take a look while her Masters talked to the merchant.

"I am getting a beginner's healing kit for my ama, as she is going to be my assistant at my clinic. I also want a medium fegentes. I want a small lirentes for her now, and we can bargain for the others in a moment. It is her treat for good behavior, so I want a smooth and pretty piece," Gobin ordered.

"For the lirentes, I have this tray that you might be interested in, and all the pieces are 5 silver."

Alza and the others looked at the thumb-sized rocks the merchant indicated.

"This is for you Alza, so pick them up and tell us which one you want," Lezar said, as he guessed what Alza was waiting for.

Alza started picking up a couple of the rocks, which felt like they had just been picked up out of a cool stream. The feeling of calm and water gently lapping at her senses filled her, and then one, which had a slight ridge that was barely felt, seemed to call to her.

It was a mixture of turquoise, amethyst, peach coral, and the rainbow coloration of the inside of an oyster shell. It was shaped with a slight L bend to it, and she knew that it had chosen her as much as she was choosing it.

"This one Masters, I think it chose me as much as I choose it, is that normal?"

"Very impressive, Master Morgain, to have such a unique selection. Yes, Alza, for some veins of lirentes, they can choose who they belong to, and if you lose them, they will find you.

It sounds creepy, but it is a protecting stone as well as a calming stone if it chooses an owner, which means this vein was hard to find. I must now insist Morgain that I give you 6 or 7 silver for such a fine piece," Lezar replied.

"But I already have the other order I can bargain with, as all of my goods will be just as impressive, so I can lose a silver or two in exchange for the gold or two I can get instead," the merchant retorted with a smile.

"Well then, the bargaining begins, but before I hand it over to Ilan, I want to add that services are also on the table as well as money, though our ama is not," Lezar said, with a bow toward Ilan, the real bargainer in the bunch.

"Will you be wanting small as well as medium pieces for the kit?" the merchant asked, with a glance at Gobin.

"Yes and the cleansing kit as well."

"The cleansing kit is 2 gold, but that includes supplies as needed for 2 years. The fegentes is 10 silver. The focantes is 50 silver. One small and one medium corentes are 20 silver and 83 coppers.

10 small and one medium magentes are 20 silver, same for the 10 small and one medium fegentes. One small and one medium epentes will depend on her level, either 15 or 30 silver.

One small and one medium cornates will be 25 silver, upon testing. One small and one medium orantes are 10 silver and 50 coppers. The small and medium psychantes are 1 gold and 50 silver. One small animantes is 80 silver," the merchant replied.

"We do not know what level empath she is yet, so we will make those purchases later. So the total you wish to start is 5 gold, 85 silver, and 33 coppers correct?" Ilan clarified.

"Yes or the equivalent in trade. I have a mate who is pregnant and my brothers also have pregnant mates and cubs, so I would be willing to trade some free clinic appointments with Master Gobin and his assistant," the merchant offered.

"I charge 20 silver an hourly appointment, plus remedy costs. I charge 50 silver for births, regardless of how many hours I am there, plus supply costs. I am willing to reduce the costs to 15 plus remedy costs for 5 appointments with my ama assisting and 40 for births plus supply costs with my ama assisting for all the currently pregnant mates of you and your brothers," Gobin offered.

"If you would sign the service trade contract, to be fulfilled within 5 years, I would agree to the price of 1 gold right now, which would be deducted from the contract."

"I agree to write my offer and sign the service trade contract for a total of 4 gold, 85 silver, and 33 coppers worth of my services with my ama assisting, if you write our product receipt and sign it," Gobin replied, finishing the formal verbal contract.

And so, the purchase was made, and the names of all who were eligible for services under the contract was agreed upon. Ilan, smart bargainer that he was, made it impossible for any future cubs to be added to the contract after they were born, which the merchant didn't catch till after he had signed the contract.

"Alza, you now have a training kit as well as prospective clients. You will spend much of the next few months learning to read, studying the books I have on healing, and watching me work, but you will also learn to work with all the stones in this kit.

The reason stones are rarely used on humans is because not all humans can interact with them, but you proved today that you are able to, so any future treatment will include mineral healing," Gobin said.

"

Which of the other stones will be with me while I am in the altering room Master Gobin?"

"The medium fegentes, as it helps with female hormones, and even if you weren't getting altered we would have gotten you one when we saw that you interact with the stones.

It will help ensure that the alteration is a success, though we will need to monitor you to see if you also gain a cat in the process."

"Good girl for noticing that we have been avoiding letting others know you are being altered. Untrained amas rarely get altered, and we don't want you to get too much attention right now as you haven't had any empathic training.

Ilan will go order your locket and bedroom outfits, and we will get you a special scent for your bath tonight while Gobin stays with you in the altering room,"

Lezar purred.

"

Thank you Master Lezar, and Kalba was right, I do have more privileges then I thought I would as an ama."

After picking all the stones for the kit and Alza picking the fegentes, they left the market to go to the medical center and the second biggest change in Alza's life in a week.

@@@

They arrived at the medical center at 11ish, having taken an hour in bargaining and another to pick all the stones. For the last hour, Alza's stomach had been protesting its empty state rather loudly, so they had been glad to make it to the medical center before others started commenting on her Master's lack of care.

As they walked through the doors, Alza was astonished to see her Masters in human form. They all had the same color eyes and hair, and they all had the same facial appearance. It was like being surrounded by clones. The Royal Physician had slightly different facial features, but he too had hazel eyes and black hair.

Though her Masters had told her that this would happen, she was still shocked by the reality.

"Alza, it is time for your appointment, so be the good ama we know you are and listen," Lezar said patiently.

"I thought we had another hour to wait Master Lezar?"

"The Royal Physician was happy to switch the appointment from 12 to 11 because his 11 o'clock wanted to have a later time," Lezar replied.

So Alza was lead into a room where she was attached to some monitors. Gobin mentioned that she could interact with the stones. The Royal Physician was extremely happy that was so, and that they had bought her a fegentes, as that would aid him immensely during the altering.

So, with a small cornates on her heart and the fegentes over her womb, she was slowly knocked out for the surgery.

During the surgery, the Royal Physician, with Gobin assisting, took out her ovaries, tubes, and uterus, as her new hormone cocktail would reject them anyway. The fegentes went silent and dull as they were removed, which was a good sign that she was ready.

They then pumped her full of female hormones while she was stitched back up so that the process for growing a new reproductive system could start. She would be knocked out for quite a while, as the remaining human hormones tried to combat the new alien ones.

When the fegentes started glowing, but not pulsing, they then injected the male hormones at a slightly lesser dose to combat the human testosterone still left. Once the fegentes started pulsing, they knew that Alza's body had completed the hormone battle, but only time would tell whether the human or alien hormones had won.

They slowly back off the sedative, and waited for Alza to come round. Once she started slowly waking up, they knew it was ok to move her to a resting room.

"Alza, we are done with the altering and we are going to carry you on a stretcher to the resting room, where you will stay overnight with us. As I was helping the Royal Physician during the altering, I know that you did fine and only time will now tell what is going to happen," Gobin told her gently.

"Master, why do I feel so strange, like a part of me is restless and anxious about being vulnerable? I feel the need to find a dark hole and hide from danger while I heal."

Gobin decided that Alza could be forgiven for forgetting his name as she had said Master, and she had just woken up from surgery. What she said after her little slip though, made him elated and worried.

"

Doctor, should she be feeling her cat so soon? Doesn't it usually take a couple of days to make itself known?"

"I don't have an answer besides possibly the rewiring of her hormone center in the brain may have damaged the altered memories and she remembers danger when vulnerable.

But it could also be that her cat is acting like a newborn cub, except that she has no mother's scent that would make her feel safe. When we set her down, I will leave and you can hold her and purr and release some scent into the air to see if that works."

"Thank you Doctor, I will do just that and hope she responds."

"Alza, what do you remember? We need to make sure the sedative wasn't too strong, so go as far back as you can in as much detail as you can," Gobin prodded gently.

She proceeded to recall the last 5 days perfectly, with the expected gaps when she was unconscious or asleep, and also recalled the auction and her sale.

"Master Gobin, it gets a little fuzzy before that, but I see lots of jumbled images and a locket. It makes my head hurt to focus on them though."

"Alright, you did good, don't force yourself, but if in the next week or so the images are still fuzzy, Helius and I may need to see what is going on. Rest now, it sounds like you are going to have a cat, and I can't wait to see her."

When the brothers returned with food and an overnight bag with clothes for everyone, they found Gobin holding Alza and purring.

The room smelled like he had released some of his scent. Alza was asleep, and her scent had changed slightly.

"

Brothers, we will have a new cat to be introduced to soon, as she woke up with signs of a cat stirring. As I hoped, my scent made her feel safe enough to calm down and sleep. Slowly one by one, release a little scent and let's see how she responds."

The brothers quietly put down their burdens and as Lezar released a little of his scent into the air, Alza's nose twitched slightly, and then she settled back down. One by one, the process was repeated, but by the time Helius had released his scent, they noticed she had started to purr as well.

"

Damn, those outfits are going to have to wait awhile now. I was looking forward to the naughty nurse,"

Jahar whined.

"

But Jahar, now we will have a pretty kitty AND a naughty nurse to play with. I think I can wait for the outfits if I have a pretty kitty to occupy me,"

Lezar commented with a smirk.

"Besides, I thought you were partial to the belly-dancing outfit,"

Kalba reminded him.

"

I was, but I like the idea of faking a hurt that only she could cure me of,"

Jahar countered.

"Enough, it will be a rough couple of days for Alza, which means a dry spell for us, and I haven't even had a go yet,"

Ilan said, slightly...frustrated.

With that said, the brothers set up for an overnight stay, and waited for Alza to wake up.

@@@

When Alza woke up from her nap, she found all of her Masters sitting around the bed eating lunch.

"We brought you some food Alza, put for now you need to have broth and this mash we got for you. Over the next few days, you will transform bit by bit into a cat. We heard you purring earlier, so we know that the process has already started.

While you are eating I will check to see if you are growing a new reproductive system yet. Once that has fully grown, we can take you home, but you need to stay here so you can get help immediately if something goes wrong.

I will be staying with you, as will Helius, but the others need to open their stores as they have customers waiting for orders. Until you leave, we will sleep here with you at night," Gobin told her.

"Yes Master Gobin, I can't wait to find out what my cat looks like."

With that, Gobin took out his focantes, and picked up her fegentes. He concentrated really hard, for the fegentes was being stubborn, but it finally relented and decided to cooperate. While looking at the focantes, he ran her fegentes over Alza's belly were her new organs would be, and was startled to see a small, but fully functioning system was already in place.

It looked to be the size that a newborn would have, but after confirming his eyes weren't deceiving him, he saw that it was growing before his eyes. It looked like what would be in a five year old now.

"Lezar, please track down the Royal Physician and tell him that while there is not an emergency, he may want to come running anyway," Gobin said, looking ashen and slightly shaky.

As the Royal Physician came with his own kit, and saw with his own focantes what Gobin was talking about, he called one of his staff for the body scanner, which would confirm the findings.

"Doctors, we figure that this is not a problem, but what is going on? You both look like Alza has grown another head or something," Lezar growled impatiently.

"It isn't something to be worried about, it is just freaky. Her new organs are growing very rapidly, and they were visibly growing as I examined her. That is what is making us nervous.

Here, look for yourself brothers, knowing she has only had 3 hours to grow them," Gobin replied

As everyone looked at the viewing screen of the scanner, they were just as shocked as the doctors. What they saw was a healthy adult-sized female reproductive system. To say they were shocked was an understatement.

"It usually takes a day for an altered ama to complete the formation of new organs. I want you to stay overnight, just in case your other changes are just as rapid, though I could release you now. She can have meat, and it looks like she will need plenty of it soon, but you need to remember to still give her vegetables, which you all should be eating too, and fish occasionally," the Royal Physician said, with a glare at her Masters.

"I still follow the required diet, but I can't stand the taste of fish," Gobin interjected.

"Well, she is fully capable of giving you cubs now, so feed her right. I would still give her the vitamin shake till she has fully transformed. But Lezar, you need to encourage better eating habits so that your cubs don't gain your bad habits."

"Yes Doctor, we will start eating our greens and maybe learn some new ways to cook fish, right brothers?"

They grumbled, but agreed that for the sake of any future cubs, it was worth it.

"Besides Masters, I am sure we can come up with some spices or something to make anything taste yummy."

"You're right Alza, so finish your mash and we will go get you a proper meal before the market closes. And here is your shake; you will need plenty of food once you start fully transforming," Ilan replied.

"Doctor, while you are still here, can you tell me about the transforming process?"

"Everyone is slightly different, but the body takes one bit at a time to transform. Usually it takes about a week, as the limbs then the torso transform, with a tail added, and then the head is last. They will transform into cat form, and can't change back in human form until a full transformation has occurred.

This happens with Felanids as well when they hit puberty, if they were born human, so this process is normal, yours is just faster than anticipated. For some reason, if our young are born as cubs they have no problem from birth changing forms."

"Doctor, could it be that those people were more human in personality than cat? I know that I have many habits and tastes that are more cat-like than human, such as I hate feeling wet, dogs have always annoyed me, and I like luxurious fabrics.

My cat and I used to have fights over who would get the most comfy pillows and blankets, which I of course won. Could that be why my cat is emerging more quickly than usual?"

"That is a thought to consider, especially as your panther has decided to let herself be known," the Royal Physician replied, pointing at her right leg.

"I was wondering why my leg was tingly and my cat was telling me to take your up on your offer to stay for the next 24 hours. If I am hearing her right Doctor, Masters, then I will be fully transformed within that time.

At the moment, the lower portion of her leg was a cat leg, but the fur and transformation was traveling upwards as they watched.

"Masters, do I have spots or rosettes? My cat won't tell me, she just told me to see for myself, but I don't want to risk moving right now."

Her fur was extremely dark, so no one could see what she had yet, but as the transformation reached her hip, it stopped for a moment.

"Brothers, Doctor, look at her ankle and tell me I am seeing what I think I am seeing, because this is impossible," Gobin exclaimed, shaken by what he was seeing.

They all had to blink for a second, but as it had reached up her "calf", they realized it was indeed possible for an altered ama to have white tiger stripes, the usual sign of a

sarzan.

"Alza, did your cat tell you it was a tiger or panther?" Lezar asked, shaken.

"She is telling me to wait for the other limbs to start getting fur before I demand answers. I am sorry Masters, apparently my cat doesn't approve of my social status and its protocols, because that was the third time she has been impertinent and has wanted to say much worse."

"As you have a cat and if the coloration continues as it does, you may have a different social status anyway. The

tsarzan

needs to see this Doctor, and tell him that her cat is being shameful, not her. I have been hearing the tail end of things when she has asked her cat questions because it is projecting to me, not her.

I can tell Alza because the cat voice has a distinct purr, so I know that you are trying to be good while your cat is basically being a brat," Lezar said.

The other leg had started transforming now, and the fur was as black as her left. The

tsarzan

had arrived, and after talking with her cat himself, was convinced that Lezar was right, and settled in to wait for what surprise her cat was guarding so closely. It was only 3 hours later when they were able to figure out what this leg's pattern would be, and it was a reverse jaguar rosette pattern, golden brown on black.