I felt a cold breeze brush against my fur, and I gently opened my eyes. First the right eye, and then the left one.
There were countless lights dotted below my feet. I seemed to be floating above a city. And I was…in a cat"s body.
“Kkyaang! Nyaaang Nyaaaang!” (Kkyaag! Kkyaaag! Kkyaaaag!)
[Hmm? What"s wrong?! Hold still! Or else I"ll—! …drop you.]
I panicked and thrashed with all my strength, and then I felt myself drop as the bird that was holding me lost its grip. I plummeted to the ground at terrible speed. My legs floundered wildly in the air. For yet another time today, I begged to live.
“Kkyaaaang! Nyanyanyanyanyanya!” (Kkyaaaag! Save meeeeee!”)
Just before I was made into a b.l.o.o.d.y pancake on the roof of a building, the thin leg of the bird s.n.a.t.c.hed me midair just inches from the ground. I barely survived by the skin of my teeth. My eyes were wide as dinner plates, and I had screamed so much that I had no energy left.
“Muaa…” (Hyaa…)
[That what close! What were you thinking?]
What? I did not have the energy to refute the angel of death for the next decade. Then a cry escaped my mouth.
“Nyaaang…! Nya…nya…” (Haaa…! Mom…haaa…)
I almost died again. My body wracked with sobs, but it was the cry of a cat.
[No matter how strong the vessel is, falling from that height will destroy it! And if that happens, then your soul will be ejected and you"ll be prey to demons.]
“Nyang, nyaaa.” (Haaa, yes.)
[Oh, it"s nice here. It"s a rooftop garden of the humans.]
I looked around with my new eyes. Manicured bushes and flower beds filled the area, and benches sat under large trees. It was a perfectly laid out garden. Perhaps we were on the top of an apartment building.
I nodded at the angel of death"s comment. My nose p.r.i.c.ked at the smell of civilization.
[This is where we can meet.]
“…Nya.” (…Okay.)
[Very good. Then I"ll leave for now…oh, if you have any urgent messages, write it down on a piece of paper and place it on top of that tree over there. I"ll stop by when I have the time.]
“Nya.” (I see.)
I would be lying if I said I wasn"t frustrated, but I was forced to be content with my situation. The angel of death had a lot of work to do, and it was a heavy task to recreate my own body. I didn"t want to say it, but like it or not, this angel of death was my only hope.
After my reply, the bird nodded and then took flight. I thought it would disappear, but then it turned around to give me one last warning.
[Remember, the existence of angels of death are taboo! If you speak, you will receive a punishment equivalent to revealing the secrets of nature.]
“Nyaa?” (Why would I say anything?)
[…Still. Be careful.]
It was already covering up my mistake with a lie, but what could I do? I wanted the both of us to live. The bird flapped its wings and turned away again, and I yelled at it before it could leave.
“Nya Nyayaaang!” (Don"t forget me!)
I waved my paw at the bird, who dipped its head in nod before finally flying away. My eyes remained fixed on it until it finally disappeared.
A shiver of anxiety ran through me, as in a matter of an hour I had been thrown into the world of a cat. I still had to learn to navigate this body, while avoiding death and danger as much as possible.
A cat. It was a creature that I had no ties to in my former human life. I had seen them on the road several times, and maybe a photo of a pet cat when a friend bragged about becoming a butler. But now…I was a cat.
As I waved my paw in the air, my gaze flicked to that furry limb. It was a dark shade of blue in the moonlight. I t.i.tled my paw back and forth, and the colors changed from black to blue and even to purple, depending on the angle of the light. Eventually I turned my paw over to study the pink soles of my feet, and was suddenly overcome by the urge to lick it. It was a ridiculous notion for my human self, but my cat self wanted to place my tongue between those plump, furry toes—
Chalkag.
“Nyeh!” (Kkyak!)
I was startled by a sudden burst of light and the click of a shutter. My fur stood on end and my tail swelled up as large as a racc.o.o.n"s. I twisted around, and saw a dark figure emerging from the bushes.
“Oh, I"m sorry! You must be very surprised.”
I had never seen such a cheery-looking man, and his voice was low but pleasantly rich and textured. My improved sense of smell easily caught the scent of his skin.
A handsome stranger in the middle of the night. I had to be on guard, of course, but I jumped down onto a bench and padded softly towards him. This was an unusual encounter for me, as I had a natural aversion to talking to strangers. I wouldn"t return to my original body for a year though, and I desperately wanted to hold on to any form of contact.
“Nyaa.” (Nice to meet you.)
I meowed and my tail swished in interest. I didn"t even realize I was doing it at first.
“Oh, you"re quite sociable, aren"t you?”
When the man stepped into the moonlight, I unknowingly shrank back in surprise. Here I could more clearly see that he was the handsome, rugged type.
He placed his fingers under my chin and scratched it. I flinched at first, but then the attention felt so good that I stretched my neck towards him to receive more.
It was like I had never been touched before. So warm…and soft and gentle too. That hand was absolutely sublime.