Chapter 13 Meow Direction

Demo’s voice rang out from the rear of the wagon, his black-and-white fur ruffling in the breeze. “Holy shit, did we just outrun winter?”

The other cats turned to marvel at the sight. Behind us lay a pristine blanket of snow, its icy grip still clinging to the hills we’d just descended. Ahead of us, however, stretched fields of green grass and dirt paths untouched by frost. The stark contrast was surreal, like stepping from one season into another.

“It’s warmer,” Lucky noted, her bottle-green eyes squinting toward the horizon. “I can feel it.”

The cats chattered excitedly, their spirits lifting as the wagons rumbled forward. It had been roughly nine weeks since we’d fled Felor. The grueling journey, fraught with danger and uncertainty, now felt like it might finally be worth it.

I glanced at the Kaiser System.

[Current KP: 2,679]

[Followers: 52]

The numbers brought a flicker of pride, but I pushed it aside. No time to indulge. The KP needed to be saved for emergencies, not squandered on whims.

“We’re not there yet,” I said, raising my voice to carry over the creaking wheels and the murmurs of the cats. “We’re still some parts away from the city. Stay alert.”

Scruffy, ever the vigilant one, nodded. “I’ll take the lead scout position.” He hopped off the wagon gracefully, padding ahead to scan the path for any signs of trouble.

Daisy, reclining elegantly on her perch, stretched lazily. “I don’t trust this weather. Feels too good to be true.”

Chunky snorted. “What, you think the grass is gonna attack us? Relax, we earned this break.”

“Relaxing gets you killed,” Daisy snapped back, her claws unsheathing briefly before she sheathed them again.

“Enough,” I interjected, my tone firm. “Chunky, keep an eye on the wagons. Daisy, help Scruffy if needed. Everyone else, stay sharp. This isn’t the time to get complacent.”

Butler, who had been quietly observing the horses, chimed in. “The horses are happier too. They’re not complaining about the cold anymore.”

“Well, that’s one less problem,” I muttered.

The wagons pressed on, the sound of wheels crunching dirt replacing the muffled crunch of snow from before. The landscape ahead was dotted with sparse trees, their leaves still green, swaying gently in the breeze.

“Keep moving,” I said, more to myself than anyone else. “We’re not safe yet.”

A kind of rhythm had settled among the cats as we journeyed. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked. Squads A, B, C, and D rotated in cycles when it came to fighting, ensuring no one got too worn out. Lucky still made a habit of failing spectacularly at flirting with me. She was relentless. Funny cat.

Scruffy and a handful of others, who I could only describe as "weirdos," seemed to enjoy reconnaissance. They scouted ahead, sniffing out danger and potential resources. Some time back, we’d caught several boars about two feet tall. Scruffy had turned six of them into a makeshift cavalry unit.

Imagine it: cats on boars…

Apparently, Butler had been the key to this strange alliance. The smooth-talking feline had negotiated a deal with the boars: they would serve us in exchange for grain. Watching Scruffy ride a boar into a fight was something else entirely. It was absurd and terrifying at the same time.

Lucky, meanwhile, had made impressive strides in her stealth training. She’d figured out how to go invisible at will, no longer reliant on her golden ring. She claimed she’d achieved this by practicing and studying the ring’s effects. Now, she was passing on her knowledge to Butler, who seemed eager to learn the "arts of stealth."

Demo had unlocked frost magic, a surprising development even for him. He said it must’ve been the constant exposure to winter frost, awakening some latent ability within him. He wasn’t great at controlling it yet, but he was improving with each attempt.

Chunky’s natural strength and speed continued to grow. His bulk had always been his advantage, but now he was moving with a surprising agility that made him even more formidable.

And then there was Daisy. She’d become the most enigmatic of all. She claimed she could hear the wind talk to her. At first, I dismissed it as another one of her quirks, but she’d proven herself more than once. She was now steering our convoy, insisting that the wind was guiding us to the nearest city.

I’d had a different direction in mind, but Daisy’s confidence was hard to ignore. She’d backed her claim by reminding us of her past experiences traveling. And to her credit, she hadn’t been wrong yet.

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“Trust me,” Daisy said, her voice calm but firm as she adjusted the lead horse’s reins. “The city is this way. The wind says so.”

I nodded, deciding to let her take the lead. If nothing else, Daisy had earned that much.

So the big mystery was… how in the world were my cats becoming stronger? It wasn’t just a little improvement, either. It looked like my earlier theory—that killing stuff made you stronger—had some truth to it. Maybe this world operated on some kind of tabletop RPG logic? Nah, I wouldn’t know.

The point was, after fighting goblins, beasts, and other creatures we wouldn’t normally encounter in the city, my cats were showing signs of growth you’d never expect from everyday strays. On average, a single cat was now capable of winning a fight against two goblins even when outnumbered. It was insane.

If this was a game, then somewhere along the way, we must’ve done something monumental to gain a massive amount of experience points. My thoughts drifted back to Felor. The heist, which had escalated into a full-blown raid, had to be the answer. That night, we didn’t just steal food and treasure; we disrupted an entire city, leaving it in chaos.

But then, why hadn’t we seen any adventurers or bounty hunters on our tail? It had been weeks, and so far, nothing. I couldn’t tell if I was being overly paranoid or if something more significant was at play.

What if Felor hadn’t sent anyone after us because they couldn’t? The damage we’d done might’ve been worse than I imagined. Or maybe they were waiting, planning a trap in the next city we’d enter.

That brought me to my next concern: what kind of approach should we take in the next city? Surely, our infamy had spread. The stories of the Whiskered Uprising had likely grown into tales of mythical proportions by now. The cats who stole the Golden Apple and raided an entire city? Yeah, people would be on edge.

Would we go in quietly, blending in as best we could, or would we march in boldly, making a statement? I wasn’t sure. The former seemed safer, but with the way my cats were evolving, I couldn’t help but wonder if we were becoming more than just survivors.

For now, though, we had to focus on staying ahead of the winter and finding the next city. Whether it welcomed us or not… well, that was a problem for future me.

The bonfire crackled and roared, casting warm, flickering light over the gathered cats. They lounged around it in a rough circle, tails flicking lazily, their eyes reflecting the firelight. It was a scene of camaraderie, but tonight, I had something important to discuss.

Clearing my throat for dramatic effect, I began, “There is a crucial matter we need to address.”

The chatter died down, and all eyes turned to me. I rose to my full feline height, puffed out my chest, and launched into my speech. “We’ve come a long way, survived the world at large, and left our marks in history as the first felines to triumph over the bipeds. We are awesome!”

The crowd erupted in cheers.

“Awesome!”

“Woohoo~!”

“Orgies~!”

“...What the fuck?”

“Who said that?”

“Some decency, please!”

I blinked, momentarily thrown off. “Right… Anyway!” I raised my voice to regain their attention. “Now comes our next challenge. What are we to do when we arrive in the next city?”

Scruffy chimed in first. “Take over the streets.”

Dem shouted, “Plunder them!”

Chunky offered, “Broker a deal with the local gangs.”

Daisy added, “I’d say we join the biggest gang and take them from the inside.”

I waved a paw dismissively at Demo. “We’ll skip the plundering for now, Demo. If you want to die, do it on your own time.”

Lucky’s voice piped up, confident as always. “I have a suggestion. How about we build a separate base of operations some distance away from the city to fall back into for emergencies? Something like a bandit’s den?”

The idea caught my attention, and the murmurs around the fire suggested it caught theirs, too. I nodded slowly, mulling it over. “A fallback point… That’s actually a solid plan. A place to regroup if things go south. What do you all think?”

Chunky grunted in agreement. “Makes sense. Cities are dangerous. Having a safe spot outside the walls could save us.”

Daisy flicked her tail thoughtfully. “It would also give us a neutral ground to negotiate or hide loot.”

Scruffy looked less enthusiastic. “It’s not as fun as taking over the streets, but fine. As long as we can still control something in the city.”

I nodded. “Then it’s settled. We’ll scout for a good location when we get close to the city. Somewhere hidden, defensible, and far enough away that no one stumbles on it accidentally.”

Demo groaned dramatically. “Fine, but I call dibs on naming the place!”

“Duly noted,” I said with a sigh.

A cat’s sense of home was different from other species. We liked being untethered. Home, to us, was wherever we wanted it to be. No fences, no walls—just freedom. Still, Lucky’s idea of building a base stuck with me. It was practical, and honestly, a little exciting.

I glanced at my crew. “I like Lucky’s idea,” I announced, earning a flick of her tail and a satisfied grin. “Daisy, can you talk to the wind and tell us where there’s a nice place we could build a base?”

Daisy’s ears twitched, her usual elegant demeanor unshaken. “That isn’t exactly how it works,” she replied smoothly, “but I will try to commune with nature.”

Before I could respond, Demo’s voice cut through the air. “Awww… I want to meet new cats… This place has a bunch of fuglies.”

Chunky wasted no time. With a loud pounce, he pinned Demo to the ground, muffling his complaints with a hefty dose of fluff.

Demo’s muffled protests of, “Mffufwuwuf…” were ignored by everyone, including me.

My focus was elsewhere. Building a base, huh? The idea was growing on me. It sounded fun, almost like a game. A place we could call ours, hidden away, but with access to the nearest city. I wouldn’t pass up on the opportunities cities offered, though. They were hubs for potential recruits.

I smiled to myself, the beginnings of a plan forming in my mind. A base for security, a city for expansion, and eventually... a kingdom of cats. The thought of it made my tail flick with anticipation.

I turned to the others. “For now, we’ll focus on building a base. Once that’s done, we’ll send scouts to the nearest city. It’s time to grow our ranks. A kingdom of cats…” I let the words hang in the air, their weight sinking in.

Scruffy, who had been grooming his paw, perked up. “A kingdom? I like the sound of that.”

Chunky let go of Demo, who sat up and shook himself indignantly. “Yeah, but who’s the king?”

All eyes turned to me.

I puffed out my chest, smirking. “Isn’t it obvious?”

The camp erupted in a mix of cheers and teasing remarks, but deep down, I knew they were on board. This wasn’t just about survival anymore. It was about something bigger.

And I was ready to lead them there.