When she opened her eyes for the first time, all she wanted to do was close them immediately and go right back to sleep.

Someone was talking nearby. Two people, in fact, but she was too sleepy to properly make out the words. Why was she so sleepy?

Oh right. It's because she had just been born.

She opened her mouth to speak but all that came out was a strangled 'Nyaaaaaa!' sound. Not the best for a first attempt at communication but she felt motion nearby as the two sitting by her crib silenced and shifted briefly.

Then one of them picked her up.

"What should we name her?"

In an instant she was awake, heart racing with a sudden and inexplicable fear; almost primal and raw as though the next moment would decide something very important for the rest of her life.

. o O (Not 'Pathetic Baby-Man'.) She thought, eyes wide in hopes that her plea would reach them through her intent horrified stare.

. o O (Not 'Pathetic Baby-Man'! Not 'Pathetic Baby-Man'! Anything but 'Pathetic Baby-Man', please, dear god anything but that!, I will literally take anything over that!)

"Ah, she's awake!" One said voice lowering to a hush.

"I don't see why you're whispering now, the damage is done." The other chuckled.

"Yes well..."

"You're so silly sometimes, dear."

She was staring at two women, one significantly older than the other. And the older one with gray hair was clearly teasing the younger, who had dark hair and looked very tired.

"Go on though. She's your child, you get to name her." Grandmother said warmly.

"... Mau. I want to name her Mau." Mother said.

. o O (Oh sweet merciful god in heaven, I'll take it.) The kitten thought.

"She must like that. Listen to her purr." Grandmother beamed.

. o O (Well yeah, anyone named Mau would purr...) She thought back at the old woman, before she realized that she was, in fact, rumbling pretty deeply with a low, sweet, purr.

She wiggled in her mother's grasp, testing out her new body. From the very tips of the fuzzy black ears atop her head, down to the end of the fluffy black tail that stretched out from her spine, everything seemed to be in working order. This would be an interesting change of pace to say the least.

She never had a tail before. She gave it a wiggle and it twitched in response, curling lazily. Basic human fighter guys don't have tails. But this time around she wasn't a basic human fighter guy.

. o O (I wonder what other benefits I get from not being human?) She wondered to herself while her mother and grandmother cooed at her.

But that's when it hit her like a wall, once again. That drifty, floaty, feeling of just being so sleepy. It didn't come as too much of a surprise. After all, she had just been born. But the next thing she knew, as soon as she closed her eyes, she was out like a light.

❧

Ten years later...

Mau grew up exceptionally strong. Or so everyone around her thought. What they had no clue about was her secret training regiment that began as soon as she could crawl. The trick at such a young age, she knew, was to be as active as possible- she pushed her body as hard as she could, running about, jumping around, climbing trees and play tussling with the other children.

Naturally, she was considered a menace by anyone that had to watch her. But she learned something very quickly about her new body- that is- about being a kitten.

Cats sleep. A lot.

And while she pushed herself to be as active as she could, she found that her energy only came in bursts before she had to curl up for a nap somewhere, under the sun. It wasn't a bad thing, she just learned she had to be extra active while she could before she crashed, in order to make up for the lost time.

The naps were pretty nice, though.

And while everyone thought she was living her best carefree life that a chid could, when no one was watching, she would practice her old sword skills learned from previous lives with an old stick she found in her backyard.

"Wait. Dammit, I want to use more than just a sword." She huffed to herself one day while practicing.

Being a human fighter guy with a sword was just so... Bland and boring by this point.

"Maybe I have like a sweet set of claws or something?" She considered, glancing at her hands. Nope. Just ordinary fingernails there. How lame. But she did quickly learn a few benefits of her new feline race over time.

Her sense of smell and hearing were keener than she had ever remembered them being; she could always tell a mile away when mother was cooking something savory for dinner. And then there was her night vision.

Though she could only see in shades of black and white, everything was sharper and clearer in the dark than she had been able to see as a normal human.

So, already, there were a few benefits to being a catgirl, she learned.

It was one day, getting closer towards her twelfth birthday, that things started to change. It all began when a beggar wandered into the little village where she lived with her mother.

While the village population was mostly human, there were a scant handful of demi-human races such as herself and her mother, a few elves, even a dwarf who ran the inn and tavern, but this vagrant was something else altogether. The man was a dragonkin; covered from head to toe in vibrant red scales that scintillated in the sun.

And while it was clear he had lost everything, he still carried himself with the pride of his heritage.

Mau's mother, worked at the local inn. Her name was Miu. She worked her tail off for tips in order to keep Mau and herself fed. Some weeks things were slim and they went hungry as a result, but others weren't so bad.

It was one day, when Mau had been hanging around the inn while her mother worked, that the dragonkin entered. He didn't have much money. Just enough to buy a meal, but he also came with news from afar.

See, the little village Mau was born and raised in was in the ass-end of nowhere. The dragonkin had travelled for many miles, dropping everything he owned and gave up all his money to escape a conflict that had been ravaging the capital city of the land. And the night he entered the inn, Mau remembers how quiet the establishment went. One second it had been roaring with life and activity, the next instant the place was stone silent as he found himself an out of the way place to sit and set a single coin on the table.

Hushed whispers started to rise around the tavern as all eyes were on him, everyone trying to figure out the dragonkin's deal. Mother rose to take the man's order- a simple meal of some bread and a flagon of beer. It was likely the only thing he could afford. But while others saw the man with skepticism and suspicion, Mau saw him for what he really was. A source of news about the outside world. And without warning the kitten plopped into the seat opposite the dragon-man, and stared intently.

"... Fearless kitten." He considered, smiling warmly. It showed all his rows of razor teeth, but she didn't budge. "How can I help you, little one?"

It was never easy, feigning being her physical age; not after a hundred reincarnations. So she didn't bother with the bullshit of acting like a ten year old.

"You came from outside the village, right?" Mau asked point blank. "What's it like out there?"

"A curious kitten, too." The dragonkin murmured. "Though I should not be surprised that a little one like you would like to hear about things beyond your village."

Mau stared intently, waiting for an answer to her question.

He pursed his lips and nodded silently, seemingly understanding just how curious she was, and rubbed his chin as he contemplated where to begin telling her of the world beyond the tiny village in the ass-end of nowhere.

"I came from the capital city." He began to speak, which made Mau's ears perk right up as she listened intently.

"I was once a senator, actually, believe it or not." The old Dragonkin added. "Before the the Deathdealer Party made their hostile takeover."

This sounded important, and Mau focused intently, practically hanging on every word the old man had to say.

"The Deathdealers serve their leader Thanatos, and are a despicable lot..." He said. "They believe in human supremacy, and ousted all the demi-human senators and representatives from power, promising to make the city- nay the nation- into a human utopia."

The dragonkin scowled. Mau could feel herself scowling with him.

Slowly, the old dragonkin shook his head.

"I fear what will happen to all the innocent demi-humans living in the capital... It's practically turned into a war zone since Thanatos and his flunkies took over, making more and more restrictive laws against non-humans..." But then he was smiling again.

"But that's not all that's going on out there." He pointed out quickly. "I was able to see the Blossoming Festival." He noted, bobbing his head in a nod.

"Every five years, the city of Dorn- which was built around a gigantic tree, celebrates with a grand festival as the great tree blooms and covers the entire city in fresh flowers and buds." He explained.

That sounded like something pretty typical for this kind of world at this point and Mau feigned interest in the new subject by slightly widening her eyes, as though in awe.

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The old dragonkin wiggled a finger at her before lightly tapping her on the nose. "Maybe you will see the Blossoming Festival, too. Dorn is not that far from here." He pointed out.

Mau nodded silently, still listening raptly to the old man, in case he had any more information she could possibly put to use.

But that was about when Mother returned, with the dragonkin's meal, Mau's mother pursed her lips at the sight of her daughter staring so intently at the old man.

"A-ah... I'm sorry sir, is she bothering you? Mau- what did I tell you about bothering customers while I'm working." Mother huffed.

"--I wasn't bothering him." Mau replied, feigning childish defensiveness. The old dragonkin chuckled as Mother set his soup and beer in front of him..

Mau's tail flicked.

Mother looked square at her.

"Don't." Mother said sternly.

Mau stared intently at the flagon of beer, resting tantalizingly close to the edge of the table.

"Mau. Don't." Mother repeated herself, voice firm.

Time slowed down. Mau could feel her heart beating in her ears, blood pulsing hard and fast with excitement as she reached out... And pushed.

The mug clattered to the floor, spilling foamy beer everywhere with a loud splash.

"MAU!"

It was as though the shout of her name pulled her back to reality and Mau blinked, only to realize very quickly that she was in a world of trouble.

Leaping from her seat, she scampered out of the inn before her mother could catch her, and did not stop running for dear life afterwards.

Mau learned something very important about being a catgirl, that day. Objects set near the edge of tables must be pushed over. It's a strange instinct to have, but apparently she had it.

That night her mother tanned her hide something fierce for it though. But that wouldn't deter her in the future- which would eventually land Mau in plenty of hot water. But that's a story for later.

❧

Mau's twelfth birthday eventually rolled around. But it wasn't to be a day of celebration like her family had hoped. By this point; after a hundred reincarnations, another birthday was kind of trivial to her, honestly. But the events of that day would forever change her and how people saw her for this particular lifetime.

She had just set out from her home on the edge of the village to go into town; as her mother had asked her to run some simple errands in order to prepare for the celebration that night. But things didn't quite go as planned, that day...

It all started when she was tasked to buy a fish from the grocer.

A simple enough task, certainly. One Mau would have easily been able to accomplish. But when you are born and destined to be a hero, there is no stopping the wheels of fate, once they begin to turn... Something Mau had learned well enough over a hundred prior lives.

When Mau arrived into town, it was eerily quiet. An oppressive, pervading, silence enveloped the place, without so much as even the chirp of a bird to break it, as a thin, cold, mist clung to the ground. It was an ominous portent of things to come and Mau's hackles were instantly raised as she walked down the lone street into the village square; an area normally bustling with activity.

Window shutters slammed shut as she passed, doors clicked as locks turned and deadbolts slid into place. She could feel every set of eyes in the village on her as she passed each house. Something was very wrong.

Though everything about the situation put Mau on high alert, she feigned ignorance as she made her way to the grocer's shop. The door was locked and the curtains were drawn closed in the windows. She tried knocking, and though she heard a shuffle of movement from within, there was no response.

Something was blatantly wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what as she took a step away from the grocer's door. Briefly, Mau considered scampering out of town and heading back home, she was in no condition for any heroics just yet and knew that if anything happened to her before she was strong enough to face the Demon Lord, that this world would be forfeit. But it was as she turned to leave that the problem made itself apparent.

She saw the gleam of the blade before she saw the goblin, but it came at her nevertheless.

Lunging from the mists with a snarl, the squat little green figure came right at her, rusty dagger glinting in its hand as it tried to jab her in the kidney. Thankfully her ingrained reflexes of a hundred prior lives helped her swerve aside at the last second, the dagger whiffing harmlessly through the air as the goblin toppled off balance.

What happened next was also pure reflex. Though she was unarmed, Mau was no stranger to fighting with her bare hands, when needed. And while her body lacked the physical strength to overpower most opponents, due to her youth, she at least knew how and where to strike to inflict the most possible damage to a foe with the least amount of force.

Her eyes flashed as time seemed to slow down again, the goblin slowly sailed through the air, face-first, headed on a crash course to eat the dirt as her hand lashed out, fingers curled into a tight fist as she hauled off and jabbed the goblin in the neck- at the junction where skull meets spine.

It was a perfectly executed rabbit punch.

The soft, satisfying, crunch noise that sounded as her fist made contact told her everything she needed to know about what would happen next. The goblin collapsed to the dirt, eyes glassed over, dead before it had even hit the ground.

Breath coming quickly with adrenaline, Mau picked up the goblin's dagger. Where there was one of the little bastards there were always more to be found; they never worked, lived, or did anything, alone if they couldn't help it.

Taking a moment to shake her trembling hand out, Mau ignored the dull throbbing pain in her knuckles from dealing out the deadly blow and gripped the dagger tightly. It had seen better days. The blade was nicked and pock-marked with use, barely still sharp at all, the goblin had clearly taken no care of the weapon that now belonged to her. It was also smeared in a nasty, foul-smelling, substance that she knew, instinctively, was some kind of poison.

That's when the smell of burning wood reached her nose. Somewhere in the village the goblins were starting fires. There was little she could do about that, but what she could do was avert a tragedy, if she could just make the goblins rout and flee the village by damaging their morale enough.

The only way to kill a goblin's morale is to either kill enough of their friends... Or kill their biggest friend around.

Another goblin stepped out of the Smokey mist, brandishing a club. The gibbering little green runt babbled something at Mau before pointing a scraggly finger at her. With a wet and phlegmy chuckle two more emerged from the spreading smoke that was rapidly overtaking the village square.

They were about her height, maybe a bit shorter, covered from head to toe in warty and wrinkly skin that was somewhere between green and blotchy mottled grey, covered up by rags of ratty fur and dirty cloth. Their jaundiced yellow eyes stared hungrily at her as though they were considering to make their next meal out of her hide. They reached their decision quickly, flashing rotten yellow teeth in hungry leers.

Mau figured at her approximate level of general fitness that she could take these three on without breaking a sweat. If more appeared out of the smoke, though, she was likely in for a world of trouble.

The biggest goblin, standing only a few inches taller than his cohorts, pointed at Mau, waggling his club to spur the other two into action. They obeyed; spreading in two directions to pincer Mau between them while the third approached head on.

The one with the club wouldn't be much of an issue. At worst, Mau was pretty sure she could continue to fight if it broke her arm or a rib. But the other two had poisoned daggers just like the first goblin she had killed, and she didn't want to risk getting jabbed with one of those. Even the slightest nick could cause a nasty infection that would cripple her for years.

Crouching into a low fighting stance, Mau flashed her teeth. She could feel the fur on her tail standing on end as she snarled and tried to make herself out to be as intimidating to the trio as she possibly could. It didn't work. The goblins only laughed and snarled and cursed back at her in their primitive language. This was fine. As long as they underestimated her, she had the upper hand.

It was then that the two dagger-wielding goblins lunged. Not one of them expected her to dodge into the direction of the club-wielder.

In fact, having expected her to dodge backwards, instead of forwards, caught the trio so off guard that Mau was able to almost casually insert the blade of her dagger into the club-wielding goblin's throat.

He went down clutching his neck, gurgling blood as he collapsed in a flailing heap, and Mau left her dagger in his neck for the sake of wrenching the goblin's club from his fingers as he expired.

The other two looked on, panicked and horrified, staring at the little kitten that had just killed their big friend. Mau had just enough of an opening to come in swinging, and she was rewarded with the dull crunch of her club caving in one of the goblin's skulls completely.

By this point the third, however, managed to rally. Hastily backing up and snarling at her, it jabbed the air with its dagger in a bid to try and threaten her off. She approached. Slow and cautious, one hand wiping some blood spatter off her cheek as she stared down the goblin.

In a last ditch panic, the goblin reeled its arm back and hurled the dagger right at her.

The resounding clang of the rusty dagger being smacked out of the air by Mau's club made the little green bastard jolt, before Mau closed the distance and slammed the club down hard on its shoulder.

The goblin squealed, clutching his broken shoulder with his good arm as he collapsed to a knee.

The truth was that the goblins had no chance. Even with the body of a child, Mau had almost ten millennia of experience under her belt. She was a natural born monster killing machine, and she didn't even think twice about smashing the screaming goblin's head in with a powerful blow that dented its skull.

Then came the laughter.

Mau's ears twitched as she heard it emerge from the smoke... A fifth goblin, larger than all the rest. This one stood heads over her, wearing rusty plates of stolen and ill-fitting armor, brandishing a surprisingly pristine and equally stolen short sword.

"Ah. A hob-goblin." Mau muttered as it approached, its unwashed stench assailed her nostrils.

The hob-goblin said something in its language as it lumbered toward her, brandishing its blade. Her eyes darted to the sword in its hand.

"That's a nice sword you've got." She said, dropping the club in favor of picking up the dead goblin's daggers. "I think I'll take it."

This paused the monster, ever so briefly, its grin widening significantly as it leered at her.

"... Try." It gurgled in reply, laughing low and phlegmy.

That's when several doors that had been previously shut burst open, the door to the inn swinging open. The old dwarf, Thrain, emerged with an old axe in hand; the axe that he always kept hanging on the wall behind the counter.

"Mau- don't try it lass." The old dwarf shouted. While her work on the previous four goblins had been impressive, it also seemed to embolden the townsfolk to come out of hiding. This was well and good, as it meant people were working to put out the fires the goblins had started, but there was no way Mau was going to let an old dwarf take this moment from her.

"I want his sword." She replied. There was something in the ice in her tone that made the old dwarf hesitate. He emerged to help her fight- to take on the hob-goblin and rescue her. Something told him he would be the one needing to be rescued if he got in her way right now.

The sounds of chaos and fighting started to build, the remaining goblins clashing with villagers that had armed themselves with pitchforks and tools.

"If we kill him, the goblins will run." She said. "He's the biggest one. Goblins always break when you kill their biggest."

"... How... How do you know that?" Thrain asked, incredulous.

There was no more time to explain, though. Not with the hob-goblin bearing down on them. With a shove, Mau pushed the old dwarf out of her way, surprise and shock evident on his face as he was bowled over by the small catgirl that used to tug on his grey beard for fun. It was then, that he realized, that this goblin murdering monster that just set into action had always been that same kitten. The killer gleam in Mau's eyes was always there. He had just failed to notice it as...

The hob-goblin started squealing like a pig. His wild and clumsy swipes with his sword were too slow and clumsy to even be a remote threat to Mau's safety as she slid under and between the monster's legs like a Major League Baseball player that had just stolen a base, and wheeled herself around as soon as she was behind him.

In the next instant she was on his back, and rammed her poisoned daggers into the spaces where his badly fitted armor couldn't protect his neck and shoulders.

The hob-goblin's sword clattered to the ground as he flailed, screeching, trying to wrench Mau off, but she ripped her daggers free only to jam them into his neck again and again. In seconds, the monster gurgled its last as it dropped to a knee, clutching the hideous stab wounds that dotted its neck, while choking on its own blood. Even then Mau didn't stop stabbing it as it went down, huffing and snarling, and growling. She wanted to make sure the thing was both very visible in the act of being murdered as much as it was very dead.

The remaining goblins paused, watching slack-jawed and bewildered as a kitten pounced their leader and brought him down in seconds. Then the terror set in, as they realized this little kitten would soon be after them next. In the heated moment of confusion several villagers struck lucky blows, killing another goblin or two, but there was no denying what everyone had just witnessed as Mau picked herself up from the dead hob-goblin. She was soaked in blood from head to toe. Her dress was stained through in gore, and she reeked of sweat and murder as she picked up the hob-goblin's sword.

Much like the daggers, it was coated in a fetid substance, but the blade was mostly pristine; likely stolen from a rookie adventurer that the goblins had murdered some time ago.

"Mine..." Mau said, staking her claim, before a large hand set on her shoulder.

She wheeled around only to be faced by searing black eyes and an old grey beard.

"We need to talk." Thrain demanded as she tried to wriggle away. But his grip was too strong and she was... Starting to feel exhausted.

. o O (Ah... Right...) She thought to herself as she could feel the adrenaline fading away, replaced by fatigue, a hot burn in every single muscle in her body, and a heaviness to her eyes.

. o O (Well I just blew my cover.) She thought. But more importantly another realization struck her as her eyes closed and she collapsed in the old dwarf's arms.

Cats sleep a lot.