I had a question. A question I wasn’t going to ask Sierra the god-box-ess, because I was afraid to learn the answer.

If I was thinking in human language, and my Stats said I could think in “the languages used around me,” did that mean there were humans in these woods?

I hoped not. I hoped I wouldn’t find any more of those weird, cruel, unapproachable, complicated humans. I hoped I could go on forever just hunting the beetles crawling millimeters from my face.

I was standing incredibly close to one of those tall oak trees, watching little lines of beetles scurry in and out of the bark gaps. They looked so familiar. I couldn’t tell if they were any different from beetles on Earth. Were they shining purplish-black because they were Vencian, or because they, like me, were some weird magical species?

—wait, why did I care? They were lunch.

I thumped my paw against one, slamming it into the bark.

Then I let it fall to the grass, expecting it to be more like a smudge than a bug. But it fell totally intact. My paw hadn’t damaged it at all!

I took a step back and hissed. The beetle hopped upright, flicked its shell open, and buzzed its wings, making its own hiss.

Then it glowed for an instant. A white fire erupted from the beetle…and left as soon as it came.

I’d seen lightning bugs, but they didn’t operate like this. Maybe because lightning bugs didn’t have Skills.

Which gave me a frightening thought: had the beetle just made itself mystically, magically stronger? Like, made itself even harder to kill? If it just raised its Defense even higher, I probably had no chance…even though it was so puny.

Hold on! I was in the body of a new, freshly minted cat—meaning I had my old sharp claws again. I came forward and swatted the beetle, aiming for the head. It turned, making me miss and hit its shell.

My claws should’ve cut into its carapace, but instead, I left no mark.

This was so irritating!

But if I could get it on its back and hit its belly, maybe I’d have an easier time?

…No, no, wait. There was a far simpler way to do this.

The problem was that I’d been thinking like a cat: crafty, agile, always analyzing the environment. I should’ve been thinking like a human.

Humans thought the best defense was a good offense. Their attacks, when they bothered making them, were blunt as bricks.

Humans could also read.

Stats.

Stats

Taipha Gray Tabby Lv. 1 EXP: 0% (0/150)

HP 100% (10/10) SP 100% (10/10)

ATK 1

INT 1

DEF 1

WIS 1

SPD 1

Traits Morph (Stage 1/5) Human Language (Stage 1/2) Perfect Human Vision

Skills Swipe

So I could Swipe, huh?

Swipe:

Attack with powered-up claws.

But just earlier I’d attacked with my claws and nothing power-up-like happened! What sense did that make, huh?!

Message from Sierra, the Goddess of Nekomata You’re a needy one, aren’t you, Taipha? It’s okay. You can admit it. We’re in the safety of your mind, after all.

She was giving me a headache.

She was my headache.

I’m serious! It’s alright to still be learning at this stage!

Anyway…you need to be thinking about the Skill to use it. Try shouting out the name!

“Meow!”

Not like that! In your mind, silly!

UGH! Swipe!

A white power glow came over my claws!

I couldn’t help but lift my one glowing paw to my eyes and stare at the odd flame. Trails of steam rose into my face and brushed past. The weirdest part was, it didn’t feel like anything except…happiness. That must’ve been what sheer power was: euphoria.

Right ahead was the beetle, all closed up in its shell. Thinking it was safe. With one paw flaring, I pounced. Both my weapon and my focus converged on the same shiny black dot.

This time, my claws pierced clean through.

Victory! EXP: 2% (3/150)

I didn’t even notice the latest pop-up. I just went straight to devouring the beetle.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Back on Earth, tiny insects were the saddest kill. They were practically flavorless, and it took so many of them to even come close to filling a cat up.

But on Vencia? (Or was it “in Vencia”?) Insects were turning out to be…well, basically the same.

Still, I felt so giddy. This was my first-ever win! Something to celebrate!

***

Okay, this sucked.

Sure, I won, but that was against a single beetle.

Sure, there were lots of beetles on this tree alone, but killing more of them was exhausting.

When I used Swipe—only once, mind you—it took away a huge chunk of my SP. By the time I’d slapped down and torn up five beetles, here’s what my Stats looked like:

EXP: 8% (12/150)

HP 100% (10/10) SP 50% (5/10)

And I felt every bit of that, um, series of digits abstractly-yet-concretely representing my inner state. That euphoric fire must’ve been coming from the same mysterious place as these numbers, whether inside my body, my mind, my soul…or some galactic outpost. And the fire was dissipating.

After eating those five beetles, I felt no closer to fullness. I didn’t feel any stronger, either—I was still so far from a Level-Up.

I just felt like balling up in front of that oak tree and crying.

Weird thing to feel, considering I wasn’t a human.

…Traits?

Traits Morph (Stage 1/5)

Human Language (Stage 1/2)

Perfect Human Vision

Stage 1 Morph, I repeated to myself. Not in the use-stuff way. In the regular thinking way.

There was something scary about that phrase.

Scratch that, this was all scary. There were good reasons why I didn’t want to acknowledge my new humanity…hybrid-humanity…whatever it was. I refused to investigate it.

But maybe I had to. Maybe humanity meant power.

Message from Sierra, the Goddess of Nekomata There are no Skills, Traits, or Stat boosts associated with Morph.

The only thing Morphing is good for is interacting with other humans. Becoming a part of human societies.

Why would I want that?

Why would any soul want to be born as a cat? Or a beetle? Or anything?

It’s not up to you, Taipha.

I whimpered.

But I’m a benevolent goddess, and I think that being human will make you, along with the rest of the universe, happy.

And the more you prance and play in the Vencian Wood, discovering the treasures and dangers it has in store, the more you’ll see what I mean.

…Huh?

The box didn’t respond.

I just went huh, though. What was going on?

I added, Come back, Sierra.

But she didn’t come back.

The sky was changing color. It was going from blue to yellow. Soon it would be all the colors of a nectarine. The night would be cold, and I would be hungry.

No…this wasn’t like me at all. Wasn’t I supposed to be tough? Maybe I was a super-weak Gray Tabby now, but I’d torn up dogs in my day. I was a survivor! And when the going gets tough, the tough get going!

So I stood up, shook myself out, took a stretch, and…

Was hit by a bolt of inspiration.

See, there were beetles crawling all over this tree. Beetles that didn’t seem to want to attack me in a swarm. Beetles that seemed content to go on their merry way, even when I, a predator, was staring right at them.

Beetles that, if knocked down in a heap, would probably not gang up on me. Beetles that would be ripe for the picking.

That I could kill with a single attack!

Leaning one leg against the tree, I used another Swipe, bringing my SP down to 0. My gut felt even emptier, but my mind thrilled.

Actually, I didn’t follow my plan. I made it even simpler: I just clawed through the beetles as they walked along the tree.

And I kept clawing. My Swipe lasted several seconds. I counted…each glow lasted a full fifteen. I clawed like my life depended on it. (Which it kind of did!)

By the end, enough beetles had fallen to make an entire pile, all their shells clacking against each other. So many I couldn’t count them.

Now my hind legs ached a little. They weren’t meant to bear my entire weight for more than a moment. As the last flames trailed from my claw-tips, I panted, staring at that pile of prey. I looked up to see the other beetles, the lucky living ones, crawling deeper into the bark.

Pride welled up in me.

I’d get the rest another day.

Level Up!

Lv. 1 → Lv. 2 EXP: 5% (16/300)

HP 100% (20/20) SP 100% (20/20)

ATK 3 (+1!)

INT 3 (+1!)

DEF 2

WIS 2

SPD 2

Tip: You receive Bonuses to your Stat gains when you use, train, or improve a certain Stat. For example, running a race has a chance of raising your Speed.

In my excitement, I swatted the box away without fully reading the tip, but I’d seen enough to know that my situation just went from good to great. Maybe I wouldn’t even need to use Swipe on beetles anymore!

And I had all my SP back, apparently thanks to the Level-Up…that was such a relief.

Best of all, I could eat well!

…Okay, twenty minutes later, I was still chomping through the tough shells of those beetles, struggling to get at their meat. And I was beginning to feel full, but also…nauseated.

I looked up at the tree. I jammed my claws into the bark. They hardly dug in.

Sure did hurt, though.

HP 90% (18/20)

Maybe there was another tree I could try.

…Come on, Taipha. What’s gonna be on those trees? More beetles. More nauseating beetles.

To eat something more wholesome, I was probably going to have to climb a tree. To find those birds I heard earlier.

To find squirrels.

Squirrels…most of whom were Level 8 or higher, according to Sierra…

Oh goddess. I was ready to sit and sulk again.

Evolution Available! Would you like to Evolve now? (Yes / No)

…Whuh? I blinked in surprise.

But the notification wasn’t a dream. It stayed there, obscuring my vision…with a promise.

Who the heck would want to Evolve later? I pawed the hovering “yes.”

Then a glow suffused and swept over my body, rebuilding every inch of me.