She desired nothing more than to be out of the rain. Her fur was soaked, and she was sure her little body was shivering. Never in her life had she felt so miserable. It was such a distasteful thing to think given her previous experiences in the Feudal Era, but that had been the thought that had lingered in her mind.
There was nowhere to hide.
Everything was a potential threat. The bush in front of her, the trees behind her—all of it. Her triangular ears were alert for any signs of danger. Yet, all she heard was the sound of the storm.
Letting out a mew of frustration, she allowed her paws to carry her through the forest without a destination in mind. She wanted nothing more than to curl up on a warm lap and slumber—or even to have the simple luxuries of being a house pet.
Play with a yarn of ball.
Chase a laser pointer.
Or simply act like the queen of the universe—isn't that what cats did? Thinking back to Buyo, she could not help but be jealous of the opportunities that she had provided him. What was he doing right now?
Lounging on her bed?
Playing with Souta?
Eating some tuna out of the can?
Her little stomach growled once more at such a thought. This had been his fault. She had rescued him and how did he reward her? He had led her to the well in the Higurashi Shrine—and caused all of this mishap. In fact, the overweight Japanese bobtail was probably lounging in her room right now.
Then she heard it. A gust of wind. Followed by howling. Then there was the smell of something disgusting. Frantically searching for a place to hide, she decided that the bush near her would do. Quickly, she leapt into the shrubbery with the pounce of a tiger, yet the accuracy and confidence of a kitten. Hiding behind the leaves, she hoped that she was away from sight. Listening to her surroundings, she was relieved to hear the howling had stopped.
For a moment, she had let down her guard—and then it happened.
Letting out a yowl, she stilled as she felt the scruff of her neck grabbed. Closing her eyes in fear, she rattled off ideas on how to survive. Should she play dead? Did that work? Did cats do that? Sniffing the air around her nervously, she realized that the disgusting scent was coming from whomever had her.
Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see a familiar face staring down at her.
