Ni No Kuni: Neko Monogatari

The night had already started in the Other World; the full moon was high in the sky, sharing its light will all the inhabitants of the land. Monsters that roamed the prairies went back to their dens for sleep, and the grasslands were taken over by monsters that preferred the cold, beautiful night rather than the cold, unfeeling light of the sun.

In the middle of those grasslands, there was a town, known as Ding Dong Dell, the reign of King Tom XIV. The curious thing about that place was that it was not only inhabited by humans, but by cats; not the type of cats we all know, however. The cats there were just like humans: they talked, wore clothing to cover their furry bodies and had personalities of their own. The King himself was a cat, beloved by his subjects and those that served him.

But this story is not about him; not at all.

This story is about his one, and only, beloved daughter.

Baby crying echoed through the halls of the castle, which sometimes were drowned by the roaring of the thunderstorm outside.

Every time the thunders released their wrath on the land, the crying became louder, as if its owner wanted to compete with the mighty roars of the lighting. The raindrops splashed against the stained-glass windows, which had drawings and decorations in the shape of different types of fish. But the colorful display did not sooth the baby, whose crying continued endlessly.

King Tom didn't usually wake up in the middle of the night, he was known for sleeping like a rock; there was nothing that could wake him up when sleeping. In fact, even in an earthquake occurred in the middle of the night, he wouldn't react a all. But as soon as he heard his baby crying, he put his exhaustion aside and got out of bed, heading towards the crib that was on the right side of his bed. Letting out a yawn, the cat king peeked into the crib to check on his child.

On the crib, there was a few-days-old kitten. She took mostly after her mother, with white fur, a bushy tail and a pink nose; however, one of the traits she inherited from her father was his stripes, which in her were colored of a dark gray tone. Her eyes wouldn't open for one more week, so it was still a mystery whether she had her mother or her father's eyes. The kitty shifted under her covers, snuffling with tiny tears.

"There, there, it's alright, little one," the cat king took his young daughter in his arms, and held her close to his chest, "Daddy's here, daddy's got you. "

Even though she could not yet see, that did not mean she was deaf as well; her hearing sense was already well developed, and she had learned to recognize her father's voice. As soon as he spoke to her, the kitten started to calm down, but when another thunder roared, she cried even louder than before; King Tom realized what was upsetting his daughter.

"She's afraid of thunder, it seems," he thought, taking a short glance at the storm rampaging outside, "Just like her mother was…"

Remembering it might have been enough to make him laugh, but he cast the thought aside for the moment and started rocking his daughter softly. "Shh, do not cry, sweetie. One's here for you, and one will never leave you."

He spoke to her like this for a while, intending for her to ignore the sound of the lighting, going as far as to close his curtains so that the lightings would not illuminate the room. The kitten kept crying for a while, but eventually her crying died down, and before her father knew it, she let out a big yawn, showing her toothless gums, and snuggled against her father's furry chest before falling asleep, not listening to the lighting's cries any longer.

King Tom smiled as he gently placed his baby back on the crib, tucking her in as best as he could. The kitten shifted when she felt her father's touch, then remained motionless once again, except for her chest rising from her breathing. King Tom kissed her cheek gently, ran his fingers through her silver fur once more time and returned to his bed just as the storm that was rampaging outside minutes ago died down, the dark clouds making way for the blue moon.


6 years later...


A kitten stood on the balcony of the palace, resting her elbows on the railing. She stared out unblinkingly over the long prairies and forests that extended through her father's kingdom, to the horizon that molted seamlessly with the mountains. Below, the citizens of Ding Dong Dell were already preparing for the night, calling out for their loved ones to come for dinner, locking their doors tightly and turning off the lights of their homes. The wind buffeted her, blowing her skirt and ruffling her silvery white fur, but she did not move. She stared intently, almost as if searching for something.

Suddenly she straightened, her bushy tail flicking in excitement and her face lighting up with joy. A white dove fluttered up from the courtyard of the castle and soared up into the sky. The kitten stretched out her paws to it, as though begging it to take her away with it, but the dove flew unconcernedly past her, higher and higher into the sky, until it was lost from sight. The kitten's arms dropped back to he r sides and her face fell once more. Slowly, dragging her feet, she walked towards the door at the end of the balcony. She stopped as though struck by a sudden idea, and turned to look out over the prairies once more. This time, she looked downward: the town gates. She approached the railings once more, the intent look coming back onto her face.

The kitten was suddenly creeping through the seemingly endless corridors and halls of the palace. Human guards roamed the halls illuminated by torches and lamps, but she avoided them, keeping to the shadows. The only way to get out was through her father's throne room, which immediately led outside to town, to freedom. The throne room was empty, with no guards and, luckily, not her father either. the gate was open, and she could swear she saw the moonlight bathing the bridge that led into the main square. The kitten paused, catching her breath, in the shadow of the throne room, and then dashed out on to the bridge. She ran as fast as she could, but before she had even reached the bridge, a force lifted her a few inches from the ground, and she was pulled back into the castle, into her 'golden cage', to the throne room. But she did not stop there. The force pulled her through the palace's corridors once more; she was carried upstairs, passing by the awestruck guards who just stared as their princess was carried away.

The kitten would have fallen asleep if she hadn't finally landed. But as she stood up, shaking the dust off her pink dress, she slowly realized where she had been carried to; turning around nervously, she was encountered by sky blue eyes, staring at her in disappointment, but not anger. He had never gone that far.

King Tom placed his wand, one of his most cherished possessions, on his night shelf, and crossed his arms while giving his daughter a disapproving look, "Cloe, one thought we already had this conversation already."

The kitten, named Cloe, flattened her ears against her head, and smiled awkwardly, "Uh…" she whispered shyly, "Yesterday, I think."

Despite the tense air, the cat King couldn't help but let out a small laugh, but soon he regained his serious look, "And so…?"

Cloe's smile faded away, and she guiltily looked down, not wanting to face her father right then, "I… I disobeyed you again, daddy. I'm sorry."

King Tom's eyes softened up upon seeing his daughter so sad; he had never had the heart to actually be truly mad at her, he could not bring himself to even yell at her. He just loved her too much for that… Sighing heavily, he took a few steps towards his child and gently picked her up, taking her in his arms, and bringing her to his bed. He sat on the fine silk mattress, placing the kitten in his lap.

"Do you know why one can't let you out of the palace, Cloe?" he softly spoke, caressing his daughter's fur gingerly.

"Because it's… dangerous?"

The cat ruler nodded, "That's right, and do you know why?"

"For the monsters roaming outside town, right?"

"Exactly. One just can't bear the thought of losing you, my child." This time, when he spoke, he gained a forlorn tone, "One promised your mommy one would always protect you."

Cloe grew sad when her father mentioned her mother; she had noticed that wherever he mentioned her, he spoke with sadness and longing in his voice, and she swore sometimes he would even get close to tears. The kitten had no memories of her mother at all, but she didn't have the nerve to ask her father, and bring him hurtful memories.

"But…" Cloe's ears flattened once more, "It's just that… sometimes I'd like to see the world outside, daddy. Not in books, but with my own eyes."

The cat king remained silent, not taking his eyes off his daughter. After a while, he smiled and held the kitten close, "Tell you what; One will let you go to town when you're 10."

Cloe's eyes lit up with hope, and she turned to look at her father straight in the eyes, "Really?"

"With one condition," King Tom continued s he flicked his bushy tail, "Do not try to sneak out again, please. One fears he will take you away, dear."

Cloe's eyes started to shutter, let out a yawn and snuggled against her father before replying, "Okay."

King Tom smiled once again as he gently picked Cloe up and softly placed her upon his bed; the kitten shifted when her father tucked her in the red velvet covers, then nuzzled her cheek softly.

"Sweet dreams, my little pumpkin."

The cat King sighed in sadness, he stared at his sleeping daughter, and how she constantly shifted and let out yawns under the covers. After a while, he rested next to her, yet he did not feel tired. All that paperwork had not exhausted him as much as he thought it would. King Tom set his eyes on something else, which hung from his wall.

"My love…" he thought, feeling as though he wanted to cry, but he had no tears left, "My Queen…"

The female cat in the picture had silvery white fur, and warm purple eyes that were like jewels. Her body was slim, and she wore a lilac silk dress, with golden trimming that had the shapes of flowers. Her long, sleek tail was wrapped around her well-proportioned legs. She had a smile drawed on her lips.

"Cleopawtri…" King Tom felt his heart squirming as he examined her smiling face, he had always loved her laugh, "One will never let anything happen to our child. That's a promise."