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CHAPTER NINE
The wizard shifts his gaze to Kiss, saying she is to blame for all this turmoil. The council shouts in agreement. The sister witches arrive along with curious skeletons, vampires and mummies. The wizard raises his arms to inflict a hex on Kiss.
A calico cat jumps from a branch above and drops into a crouch between Kiss and the wizard. Kiss recognizes Fugley a moment before he changes form. Fugley's darker colors gather into spots. The fur on his back raises. He begins to grow, reaching a massive size, towering over the wizard. Fugley appears as a huge leopard. He snarls and spits. The wizard hesitates.
Kiss is astonished. She wryly mumbles that Fugley probably didn't need her help in changing how he looked.
The creatures of Halloween Hollow take advantage of the lull in the confrontation. Freed from the wizard's charmed grasp, Gillian snatches her cat from Kiss. Ghosts scoop up the white cats. A vampire cuddles a tuxedo cat, admiring his delicate fangs. A mummy wraps the hairless cat in cloth strips, warming him. The sister witches waver over the cats until one sister picks up a brown cat. The witch is delighted to find a cat with curly hair like hers.
The wizard sees this happening over Kiss' shoulder. Kiss follows his gaze. The wizard demands they stop. Gillian shouts. Didn't work! Look, look. Didn't work! Colorful cats never left!
Kiss turns back to the wizard. Kiss says it's over. What any creature should look like was never the council's decision anyway.