It was a rather snowy winter, and the path that had been cleared by someone had been covered in new snow, making it difficult for one creature, who struggled to make her way along it due to a slightly drooping belly.

She reached the statue of a deity, though it had been cared for, it was crumbling from time. It was only at its mercy as the ruined part formed a small tent where the animal decided to take shelter from the weather.

She curled up and fell asleep, though she hadn't eaten in a couple of days, as her spine was protruding, because she had been chased around and thrown around, as evidenced by the dirt and caked wounds on her target.

When she opened her eyes again, it was surprisingly bright. Pressing her ears down, she heard a noise - it was a person. Realizing this, she pressed herself even harder against the corner, as if it could save her from any threat to her life, and not only hers.

Outside, Grandpa was shoveling snow, a ritual without which the day could not be called a day. When the path was cleared, he walked up to the altar and brushed the snow off the offering plate with his hand. Then he took off the bag he carried over his shoulder, opened it, and took food out of it one by one: first a bean bun, peaches (he knew the deity of this place liked them very much), and the last thing he was going to put in with the rest of the food, another bun, but with meat.

"What is it?" - Grandpa asked in surprise, noticing the small footprints in the snow.

His eyes glistened, as if he had guessed, and in the hope that he had followed the footprints, he did not need to go far, it was enough only to turn a little, and he could find the one who came here.

And the one who was hiding realized that its hiding place had been discovered, and hissed - it was the only way she could defend herself against someone who was several times bigger than her, and it seemed could easily injure her, so she swung her paw to defend herself.

Grandpa was a little upset that it wasn't a deity, but a pregnant cat, but the sight of her, still made him worried.

"Hush, hush, I won't hurt you," he tried to calm the cat, but it didn't work.

Then he stepped forward to feed it meat from the bun he had had in his hand the whole time. The cat, seeing the open space through which it was, ran off down the path, in this situation it was not so difficult, for fear and the desire to live overpowered everything.

"Don't run away," Grandpa said, but he couldn't catch up with her.

So he just walked back to the place where he met the ponytail. He broke the bun in half, took out the meat that was inside, and put the offerings under the canopy, hoping she would come back here.

He wandered around a bit and found a couple of planks, they were small, and it was unclear how they got here, it could be written off as heavenly help or other mysticism. But he didn't go into such details, and fortified her house, it was unclear how, but intuitively it seemed that the cat would return. If he had a lot of strength and tools, he could make the cabin as good as the sanctuary, maybe even better.

"I might not have found anything at all," he looked back at all of his morning's work and decided he had accomplished his mission and returned to the statue.

Kneeling down with difficulty (he placed his offering bag underneath him), he folded his arms, looked at the shabby statue, and smiled. After all, this statue had been made for a deity from the cat family.

"Great guardian, accept these offerings and continue to protect these lands and people" - after reciting the prayer to the end, he didn't move from his seat and bowed slightly - "Guardian, forgive the impertinence, but look after the cat that was here, I'm not sure it will survive without help, next time I'll bring more peaches."

He finished his request, bowed and stood up, it took a while, age is something you can't run away from, he took his things and left.

As soon as he withdrew, the peaches themselves began to float in the air, though he did not make his shell visible, and then one by one dissolved as if someone had eaten them, until a single pit remained.

"Alright, I'll fulfill a human whim," the deep voice said without revealing itself.

The fears were confirmed and the pregnant cat returned, but upon discovering a piece of meat in its hiding place, it began to sniff suspiciously.

The observing creature took on the guise of a cat, its appearance, despite its best attempts to pass itself off as a normal cat succeeding somewhere around ninety percent.

"It's unlikely that in her condition you'd pay attention to such things," he thought and quietly approached her.

"For someone in a difficult position, someone who is clearly hungry, aren't you being a little too choosy!!!".

"Who are you?" - The cat jumped up in surprise when she saw the stranger.

"Believe me, you don't need to know," the cat wrinkled his nose, "just take it and eat it."

"So why aren't you eating?" - The cat asked incredulously.

"I have a human who feeds me all the time," said the cat.

And still not decisively, but the cat for the sake of experiment bit, and the piece was very tasty, so it greedily pounced, and while it was busy, the cat began to dissolve into the air.

The guardian could have not helped or followed the cat, but it seemed to him very suspicious that among the souls following the cat (among the souls of those who were to enter the bodies of the kittens at the moment of their birth) there was one who often appeared in these places, and she always followed the pregnant cats, and after the birth of the kittens entered one of the bodies. And this could not leave indifferent, because two or three times can somehow be written off as something, but not when it happens for the ninth time.

And for the next few days man and spirit followed her. A warm bedding appeared in her shelter, and old baby blankets were used to insulate the walls. So the cat had almost everything she needed for a comfortable life.

And as soon as a week passed, the cat began to move around the territory and look for a place to live.

To make her labor a little easier, the spirit took on a visible shell again and appeared beside her.

"Has it started already?" - He inquired, as if this was a first for him

"I think they do," she spoke in a weakened voice and her stomach was in full motion, and when another sharp movement followed, she scowled a grimace, "they want to see the world, and they clearly can't wait to do so."

"We all want it, to one degree or another."

Looking at her vitality he could tell she wouldn't last long, even though her grandfather had fed the poor thing, she couldn't help but get stronger in this short time, but the kittens in her belly, if by some miracle she managed to give birth, had a good chance of surviving.

"You must help her, she must not die before her time."

The life force was especially concerned about the spirit that was haunting her, the keeper had managed to talk to him for a couple days, but no sensible information was forthcoming from him, he was a bit superstitious, believing that divulging this information would supposedly disrupt his plans, so the keeper had to give up.

And so, having all this, the cat began to give birth, and it was a long labor, for which even the keeper grew tired, energizing her so that she could at least give birth. Her strength was close to zero but there was one last kitten left, the cat's lean and not particularly young body twitched with fatigue, once the last kitten was called and purified, the cat's soul left her body. It didn't go anywhere, but remained sitting nearby, watching with sad eyes as her kittens, who hadn't even seen her, tried to find warmth and food from a body that had not long ago been alive.

"Mr. Keeper, will my children be alright?" - The worried ghost of a cat asked.

"If they're strong enough to last for a while, I think grandpa will find them and figure out what to do with them, so... - asserted the keeper, but then realized something else - "since when?"

"Eyes, ours and the spirits' if you didn't know are a bit different, besides in a place like this suddenly meeting a cat that has a master and disappears without leaving a trace in the snow, is that enough?" - The cat smiled faintly, although she was anxious and tired, she looked beautiful.

"It's enough," the keeper agreed, realizing how screwed up he was.

They talked like that for a long time, remembering to keep an eye on the kittens.

Enough time passed and the day came. Grandfather came early today, as he was worried about the cat.

When he came to the altar, he saw the body of the stiffened cat and the kittens, who were trying to keep warm by huddling together and meowing pitifully, hoping that someone would warm them up.

Grandpa, without ceremony, shook out the food he usually brought to the deity, this time he brought more peaches and quickly headed towards the hut, one by one stacking them in his backpack.

"I should have forgotten to put the warmers in this day," he complained.

Realizing that the newborns were now at risk of dying, he quickly wandered downstairs, forgetting his usual ritual and deciding that he would take care of the body later.

"I told you so," the Guardian said, not offended by the fact that his offerings were lying in the snow instead of on a pedestal as usual.

"Yes, I think I can go to the cat kingdom now."

"The cat kingdom?"

"Yes, of course it's strange that you don't know about it, but that's where all cats can go when their thread in this world breaks," the cat explained.

"Hmm, sounds like something interesting," the spirit commented.

"Then maybe you'll come with me," the cat suggested.

She really liked the Guardian, but she realized she couldn't stay with him forever. The spirit smiled politely and sadly.

"I am sorry, but I cannot, for as you realize, I was sealed here long ago and cannot leave my territory beyond this hill. You are a very sweet Lady Kiki, I hope you are much better off there than you are here."

He licked the cat's cheek, the cat jerked momentarily in shock, blushed, but licked the cat's cheek too, in response to his.

Two cats in tuxedos came running after her, both messengers of death and those who make sure that souls don't walk freely in the world but are sent to their realm, she ran after them, though she didn't turn around. But, heard only by the spirits, the words "I hope we meet again" hung around her

Grandpa was at the vet clinic, sitting in the waiting room after his checkup, the babies were fine, perfectly healthy for their position, and just hungry, they were fed and sent to wait.

While he waited to be told what to do next, he had time to observe them. There were five in total and they were all white and white-brown kittens and every color was the same, one kitten certainly stood out, he was larger than his siblings and one ear was brown, he was generally the calmest, but at feeding time he was the most active and would push anyone who tried to take his place.

"You, Ishiki-san?" - said the girl who approached him, carrying a folder in her hands and checking something at the same time.

"Yes, that's me," Ishiki confirmed.

"Do you really want to keep the kittens?"

"I really like cats," Grandpa said, looking fondly at the plastic box they were currently in, "but my wife is allergic to cats.

"Oh, I see, let's go to room 178 then."

The paperwork didn't take long, and he safely handed the kittens over to the kind people and went to his wife, who was waiting for him at home.

When there was no one in the animal room, the very soul that had been haunting the cat showed itself again. Without thinking long, she took possession of the fattest kitten - she couldn't have done it sooner, after all, it hadn't been long since she was born. The kitten meowed at this action, for now there were two souls in it, and they tried to separate it, but only they merged, the kitten continued to watch its dreams.

Grandfather, not at once, but gradually forgot about them and two years later, in winter, but already with the help of his son, he went there, because he wanted to pray to the spirit for the last time.

And when they were about to return, they noticed that a cat was wandering by. Grandpa's eyes widened, though it was a very fat cat, but the most amazing thing was that one of its ears was also brown, like one of the kittens he had rescued.

"I'm glad I didn't save you for nothing," Ishiki smiled.

The cat meowed in surprise, as if it realized what he had said.

Grandpa wanted to pet him, but he felt sick and they had to leave, and the cat continued his business.

And already in the hospital, when he officially left this world, he saw a white cat beside him, although he didn't look dirty anymore, but the wounds on his back made him recognizable.

"So you're happy now."

"Meow," the cat meowed happily and stroked his legs.

"Did you come to accompany me on purpose?"

This time the cat didn't meow, but ran forward, turned around, telling him to follow her, but noticing he wasn't coming, meowed.

"I know what you want and I'm ready to follow you," and he followed her.