Chapter 2 A Purr-fect Plan

I observed them from my perch, the adventurers below clustering in their own cliques. Each group was as distinct as the fur patterns on my siblings had been, from loud, ale-swilling brutes to silent, calculating types who nursed their drinks like secrets. Their conversations blended into a low hum, punctuated by laughter, shouts, and the occasional clink of tankards.

“What are you even here for? Seriously?” Lucky’s voice was a soft purr beside me, her tail swishing impatiently.

“I’m not sure yet,” I admitted, eyes narrowing as I studied the room. “But obviously… knowledge. Maybe there’s an Exp system invisible to our eyes, and we can level up. Maybe if we kill some goblins, we’d grow in strength.”

Lucky blinked at me, her green eyes flat with skepticism. “I don’t understand half of what you’re saying, but sure… whatever…”

If we had opposable thumbs, I would have taken a different approach entirely. I’d be down there right now, learning swordsmanship, wearing boots, and hunting goblins for loot and experience. But no, we were cats. Tiny, clawed, and woefully unarmed. If we had thumbs, I might even try building a gun—though judging by the gnome with the stylish revolver on his waist and the boastful dwarf who carried a canon, the dwarves and gnomes were way ahead of me on that front. Not to mention my gunpowder knowledge was… well, half-assed at best.

Lucky let out a long, exaggerated sigh. “Let’s get out of here. I’m bored. I want to play.”

I ignored her, ears twitching as I honed in on snippets of conversation below. There had to be something useful in this sea of noise. Some rule, some opportunity that even the lowliest creature could exploit to rise in status and gain power.

One group caught my attention first:

“What? The Fairy of Wishes is a myth! If you catch the Fairy Queen, you get three wishes! I call bullshit!”

I flicked my tail dismissively. Too unreliable.

Another voice rose from a different table.

“There’s a knight tournament in the next city over. The reward is knighthood and a piece of powerful equipment.”

I wrinkled my nose. No way I could use humanoid equipment.

Another group was more animated.

“There’s a recently confirmed wyvern’s nest south of here. That means dragons—and treasure, doesn’t it?”

Treasure? What use did I have for treasure?

And I felt like wyverns and dragons were way out of my league.

Then, finally, a voice cut through the chatter, drawing my full attention.

“Someone’s auctioning a Golden Apple… here in Felor!”

“Shush, pipe down,” hissed another. “This is a merchant city. It’s not unexpected for something like that to show up.”

“What’s a Golden Apple?”

“Tsk, newbies… it’s the Golden Apple. Rumored to change someone’s fate, awaken hidden talents, and worth a lord’s entire fortune. Hell, even kings would pay a fortune for one.”

“No way!”

“And it’s going to be auctioned?”

“That’s why so many distinguished guests are appearing in Felor recently.”

I felt a jolt of excitement. This was it—a golden opportunity, literally! The Golden Apple sounded like the kind of power boost I needed. And if I couldn’t buy it… well, there were other ways to acquire things.

“This calls for a heist!” I declared, my tail flicking with determination.

Lucky tilted her head. “What? You called for me?”

“No~!” I hissed, rolling my eyes.

Lucky stretched lazily, her claws catching the beam beneath us. “You’re seriously going to try and steal some shiny fruit from the most important auction in the city? You’re insane.”

“Insane? No. Inspired.” I grinned, the beginnings of a plan forming in my mind. “Just watch, Lucky. This Golden Apple is going to be mine.”

“Sure,” she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “And when you get caught, I’ll be sure to write a ballad about your short-lived career as a master thief.”

I ignored her. I didn’t need her approval. All I needed was a plan. And maybe a bit of luck. Or, in this case, a Lucky.

It was time to draw in the charm. I had a plan, but to pull it off, I needed Lucky on my side. And Lucky… well, she had the hots for me. Not that I was complaining. It was flattering, sure, but I had bigger priorities. Right? Yeah… bigger priorities. Definitely.

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I turned to her, channeling every ounce of feline charisma I could muster. In my past life, I’d played a lot of games across various genres. While I didn’t have any shiny achievement, my Fine Arts degree had taught me a thing or two about storytelling and performance. Time to summon a bit of theater.

“Lucky,” I said, my tone dripping with mock seriousness, “tell me—have you ever gone hungry?”

Her ears perked up in confusion. “Where is this… going?”

“Just answer the question,” I insisted, giving her my most earnest gaze.

She tilted her head. “I mean, yeah, of course. Everyone has.”

“Right, right,” I said, nodding sagely. “But tell me, Lucky—who is the one cat in all of Felor that has never gone hungry? At least in the past month or so…”

She hesitated, her green eyes narrowing suspiciously. “M-me?”

“Why?” I asked, leaning in slightly.

“Y-you?”

“Exactly.” I puffed out my chest, tail swishing with satisfaction. “So, you owe me a lot, right? Like, big time?”

Lucky blinked rapidly. “Yeah, I guess?”

“And we’re like family, right?” I pressed, my voice softening into something conspiratorial.

“Yeah,” she agreed, though her tone wavered.

“Family will do anything for each other, right?”

“N-no?” Lucky’s whiskers twitched. “I mean… my elder brother once kicked me off a ledge. One time.”

“Am I your elder brother?”

“No.”

“Does your brother feed you?”

“No.”

“Do I feed you?”

“Yes.”

I let the silence hang for a moment, my gaze steady. Then I dropped the hammer. “If I fail this heist, get caught, and end up turned into soup or fed to alligators, who will feed you then?”

Lucky froze, her ears flattening. “Y-you’re being dramatic.”

“Am I?” I said, raising a paw for emphasis. “If I’m gone, you’re back to scavenging scraps in alleys, fighting rats twice your size, and dodging wild goblins who see you as a snack.”

She swallowed hard, glancing away. “I… guess that’s true.”

I leaned in closer, lowering my voice. “Lucky, this isn’t just about me. This is about us. If we pull this off, we won’t have to live like this anymore. We’ll have power. Status. Food—endless food! We could even build a proper pride, rule the streets, maybe the whole city!”

Lucky’s tail flicked uncertainly. “You make it sound so easy…”

“Because it will be easy,” I said, flashing her a confident grin. “With you by my side, how can we fail?”

Her eyes darted back to me, her resolve wavering. “Fine,” she muttered, her voice barely audible. “I’ll help you. But if we get caught, I’m blaming you for everything.”

“Deal,” I said, purring triumphantly.

She groaned, batting at my tail. “You’re impossible.”

“Impossibly charming,” I corrected, already turning my attention back to the task at hand. With Lucky on board, the heist was one step closer to reality. Now all I had to do was figure out how to steal the Golden Apple without getting turned into soup.

Easy, right?

We left the Guild under the cover of night, slipping through the shadows like the stealthy cats we were. The air was crisp, the city alive with the hum of distant voices and the occasional shout. I could hear Lucky’s light paws following closely behind me as I expertly parkoured along the rooftops. A leap here, a quick scamper there, and soon we were at our hideout—my hideout, really.

It was on the top of a high building, tucked away behind wooden partitions and hidden behind a few cracked spaces and small windows. The perfect place for a pair of cats to lay low and plan their next move. The floor was littered with trinkets, some shiny, some not, and food—lots of food. Most of it was stuff we had scavenged, or in the case of a few things, stolen.

In one corner sat the Magic Bag we had stolen from a certain wizard. It was filled with food, enough to last us through the cold months. The best part? The food inside didn’t spoil easily, making it perfect for long-term storage.

I sat on my haunches, tail flicking in excitement as I turned to Lucky, who was still pacing nervously.

“This is the plan…” I began, eyes gleaming with ambition. “We bring in more cats.”

Lucky stopped dead in her tracks and blinked at me. “What? You want to start a cat gang? That’s stupid… They’ll just steal the Golden Apple right under your whiskers.”

I grinned. “Not if we bribe them.”

She looked horrified. “Bribe them? They’d rather have a full belly than something fancy like that Apple. You’re asking for trouble.”

I shrugged, tail curling with excitement. “Strays don’t appreciate much in terms of quality, but they do appreciate quantity. And I’m offering them plenty of food. You know how much they love that.”

“No! No way!” Lucky hissed, her fur bristling. “It’s almost winter, Kai. You’re going to kill us all. If we feed them, we’ll go hungry. Have you forgotten how cold it gets?”

“Don’t be a drama queen,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “We’ll leave enough for you to survive, okay?”

She wasn’t convinced. “And what about you, huh? What if you starve?”

“Of course I’ll take the risk. It’s my burden to bear,” I said, puffing out my chest. “Someone’s got to make the sacrifice, Lucky.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “What’s the word? Are you being a misogynist right now?”

I blinked. “What? Nooo~! I don’t even know what that word means. All I know is it’s offensive to males. Besides, this is a risk I’m willing to take for a simple reason. It’s going to be me who eats that Golden Apple, and you wouldn’t get anything out of this heist!”

Lucky’s tail twitched, but she didn’t seem as angry now. Instead, her eyes gleamed with a mischievous light. “Didn’t you promise me your affection?”

I froze, not expecting that question. “I did.”

“And you promised to have my babies, didn’t you?” she said, her voice a teasing purr.

I jumped back in surprise. “Wait… you’re gaslighting me!”

She just blinked innocently. “No?”

“Yes!” I insisted, my whiskers twitching in annoyance. “You’re tricking me!”

She smirked, her eyes full of satisfaction. “See? You promised.”

“No! No, I didn’t!” I mewed, suddenly defensive. “I don’t even know what that means. I was just trying to make sure you’re on my side for this heist!”

Lucky’s purring grew louder as she circled around me. “Well, I guess you’ll just have to make good on your promises then, won’t you?”

I rolled my eyes, my tail flicking in exasperation. “I swear, Lucky… You’re impossible.”

But in that moment, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit of pride. If I was going to pull this off, I needed her. And maybe, just maybe, she’d get a little more than just food out of this whole ordeal. Not babies… Never babies… I’m not ready to be anyone’s daddy yet…

“Alright, alright,” I said with a sigh, “I’ll take care of it. We’re going to pull this off, Lucky. And I’m not going to let anything—anything—get in our way.”

Lucky just purred, satisfied. “Good. I’ll hold you to that.”