The cat lay curled up on the stone slab at the side of the muddy path.
People walked by and the noise had reached an alarmingly loud level. Yet the cat slept on, without a care in the world. It looked a little different from a normal cat- its tail extra long and its colour was dark, seeming to reflect black, blue, purple and red, all at the same time. But under the shade of the trees, one couldn't make this out too well and people had better things to do than worry about the abnormally sleek, yet healthy-looking, weirdly coloured cat. So thought one jobless person, as he looked at the cat.
Unusual, he thought. Could it be a yokai? Maybe I should call those onmyouji to check?
Still, the cat didn't move at all. If not for its breathing, anyone could have thought it was dead. He sat down next to it. It slept on, as if seeing a long dream.
"Hello?" he murmured. No response. "Are you a yokai cat or something? Are you? What are you doing in a human village in the middle of general population? Don't tell me you're going to eat the villagers in the middle of the night? The strange disappearances are your doings?! But what could a little cat like you do? Or maybe you have another, actual yokai form? I'd like to see that...In fact, if you're a yokai, maybe you can talk? I know a kappa who is pretty friendly...Though he isn't from around here..." He kept on mumbling and went on to talk about more and more mundane topics and it became evident that he was somewhat of a yokai fan.
After talking for a bit, he fell silent. He noticed the cat hadn't moved at all, but its breathing was not that of someone sleeping. It was quicker. Its ears twitched and it seemed it had finally woken up, though it refused to open its eyes.
"Say, are you a male or a female? Maybe I could check..." The man went on to touch the cat when it finally woke with a start and growled at him, baring its abnormally pointed teeth.
"S-sorry! I didn't mean to-"
The cat stretched briefly and sprinted away.
"Hey! Wait!" But it had already disappeared in the crowd.