I stared into Catherine’s cerulean eyes, which were deep oceans holding the brightest skies and the shine of a lively star. I felt her through those feline pupils. The little twitch of her whiskers was so adorable! She was like a baby, mostly because she was still partly in a pool of her own piss.

“Mewwwl. Nyaaa. Myau… Meow. Meo. Nyannnn!” I said. Apparently, kittens don’t have vocal chords to make human noises.

She smelled of wet fur, cat urine, must, and potent pheromones… Is that… fear? Aw… Don’t worry, baby, I’m here. I move to nuzzle her but she fumbled backwards, mewling dissatisfaction.

It looks like she can’t even use her new body right! Oh, Nigel, she’s so sweet! She’s like a clueless marmoset crawling around in my palm. I can’t giggle but I also can’t stop purring!

I pounced on her, glomping through her vulnerability. We rolled in the dirt, our fur scuffed and matted. I held her down and rubbed her cheek, feeling her smooth whiskers. Her eyes bulged and she squeaked. I lapped her hair straight with my sandpaper tongue but she shrilly caterwauled.

Ignoring the yowls, I readied my hardened self and attacked her! But PAIN! PAIN! So much PAIN! AUghUUAHAaa!!

MURRAaaAaFfFAAHh.

GuRrriAaAAA!

OooOAAOAAAH!

...

Oh, Nigel, what in the Seven Hells was that? I was covered in piss and it still hurt! It stank and it hurt! WHY NIGEL!? All I could do is howl…

The pain subsided and I quickly flipped over to my feet. I found Catherine sleepily sliding out of the burrow. Darling! Wait for me!~

I padded slowly over to her through jolts of pain. She stopped all of a sudden, which put me on alert. I laid flat, my ears at the ready, and sniffed as quietly as I could. Then, I heard it. Something was tiptoeing towards the entrance of the Vimm Vixen hole. I craned my head up to see the barest of morning light shine down. A shadow slowly overlapped the light.

I pulled Catherine with me deeper into the burrow. For now, it wasn’t safe to leave. Luckily, she complied, like she understood the situation. As expected from my one and only soulmate.

Soon, we made it back to the water, which was the deepest part. But the shadow kept descending, insistent on checking the hole for a harvest. I saw it block the faint traces of light that came from around the corner. I dragged Catherine into the water and she stared blankly on.

Eventually, we were underwater. Unaccustomed to being submerged, Catherine understandingly panicked. Yet, I had to ensure our safety. I dragged her deeper and deeper despite her attempts to surface. It was just a little more… Where was the damn alcove?! Don’t tell me this vixen was a nincompoop?! How incompetent does it have to be not to create a hiding place under this water?

I couldn’t anymore. My limbs were heavy. I could barely hold onto Catherine when she pushed me. I couldn’t breathe. I’m losing consciousness…

Is this how I die? Moments after my reunion with her?

Bah. So be it. We die together and as one…

...

No! I refuse to die, forgotten, helpless, and weak!

My eyes ripped open and I swam upwards. Newfound strength flowed through my feeble body, heatedly burning my veins and overstressing my muscles. My lungs and heart pounded, drumming up a storm. I wrapped my tail around Catherine like a rope. We moved together, as one to surface!

"Mewwwl!!"

I pawed my way onto solid ground. Catherine tugged behind me, consciousless once more. Although my legs burned and my organs felt like failing, I needed to make sure! I held my head against her chest and moved to her whiskers.

She still breathed.

Relief flushed me and I turned to stare at the shadow. My feline eyes could faintly make out a lithe youth seasoned by the hand of nature. He stood six paces tall and two paces wide, with a dirty face. He wore the bark-colored fur of patched-together... squirrels? They made up his padded gloves, boots, jacket, pants, and helm. A small bag hung at his side. He was like any common forest-boy bumpkin I've seen in years passing.

Bastard. I could smell the fresh Vimm Vixen's blood on him. Likely, he was its killer and the reason why Catherine could take refuge without being eaten. I looked at him in the darkness as he gazed around him. The human didn't have good vision, but he seemed able to make out shapes around him. Stupid bastard didn't bring a torch, which practically screamed for him being suicidal or plainly brainless. A Vimm Vixen could easily ambush him at any time, if there was one.

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The human hefted two sharpened bone knives. I was almost certain they were from the Barker Squirrels he butchered. They wildly swung from side to side as the human looked around with paranoia. Such a poor stance and investigative ability... He stomped around like an upset Barreling Boar and smelled worse. Couldn't he have disguised his scent better?

In spite of my poor condition, I easily stifled myself to reduce detection. I was confident my scent properly stayed indistinguishable in this forest. Ah!

The human slipped on Catherine's pool of piss...

He fell like a rock, falling over us and landing straight into the water well. That was a nice belly flop, lad! Great splash! Now, please drown, like a good boy!

I grit my teeth and moved. My wet fur sludged but I dealt with it. We had to leave before he could get us. I could smell the Vimm vixen's blood better the closer I got away from him. The damn kid made a lure when improperly bleeding his catch... What a dumbass. Nomtu roots let out a scent irresistible to Vimm Vixens. In a few hours, they'll be swarming this place as their new nesting grounds.

Further and further down into the hole, the human finally made it out of the pool of water. Looks like he lost his daggers in the process. What fool is as incompetent as him? I may say that, but I'm the one nearly dead because I thought this specific Vimm Vixen was competent to make an alcove in its water well...

It doesn't matter since he's human and I'm a kitten. Although, now that I notice, both Catherine and I have a special bloodline of sorts. I've thought we were simply Siamese kittens, but there was more to it... How else could I use sheer willpower to move this damaged and immature body of mine? A strange power burned, activated during the time I was drowning. Come to think of it, all my reincarnations had the potential to become demi-gods and transform into a human form...

My soaked skin dripped water incessantly from my form. I needed to dry quickly before spores of the stupidly omnipresent Miriad moss covered me in a few days and drew the attention of a Carnivorous Caribou. Those hunters aimed for the weak young of other animals by following the smell of that damn moss. In these circumstances... It was better to soak up

My adept ears heard the human trailing behind us. I needed to get out first and in the light for my plan to work. It was better to work together and gather numbers into my employ. With such a foolish specimen at my disposal, why would I refuse? Naivety never failed to amuse me in the eyes of humans so enraptured with tales of grandeur and dreams of heroism.

We were a strange and alien fauna to the region, but not unwelcome. In fact, we could be two novelties that he could showcase. I have no doubt the boy lacked in accomplishments, looking at his gear and skill. By posing as infantile kittens, the human would want to tame us and revel in his luck. The infiltration would be seamless and covert.

I laid flat at the entrance of the Vimm vixen's hole. I half-covered Catherine, who still dozed in her dreams. I sensed the human slowly drew nearer and nearer. Soon, he arrived, squeezing the water out of his clothing.

His eyes met mine and I activated my strongest ability! Cuteness!!!! 

"Meeeww!~"

I yawned and flicked my tongue. I rubbed my head against Catherine's and licked her whiskers. I noticed the human watching us in awe. Yes! Love me!

He bent down and gasped. His hand outstretched to my head cautiously. I tilted my head.

"Nyaan!~"

The human patted my head with his damp and filthy fingers. I felt them trail along my neck, like revolting maggots coiling around me. I had to keep acting...

"I wasted a week here but it was all worth it! These beasts must be the mutated children of that vixen!" the boy giggled.

Disgusting, ignorant, and careless... What an inept owner I gained. He scooped us up in his arm

"My first hunt and I caught three animals," he said. Then, he lowered a vixen, which finished most of its bleeding, and tied it to his back. He must have snared it in a trap after we entered its home. He finished up surprisingly fast. It should be time for him to go home. I nuzzled Catherine. I kept watching him.

He went along the path in the trees, taking breaks at the hidden rest stops whenever he had the chance. Over half an hour was wasted while lugging the surprisingly cumbersome and heavy vixen, but he arrived at a village in the hardy and grand Moru Trees. Giant trees canopied the many homes speckled along the branches and bridges built high above the ground. The human slowly padded up the carved holes on the trees and climbed. He was exhausted completely at the end of it.

Finally, he proudly unraveled his prized Vixen and announced it to the other hunters in the center of the village.

"Hey! I got my first catch! Who can say traps are useless now! They work! I told you they worked!" he shouted, the body raised over his head and slightly dripping blood on his face. The others ignored him and continued doing whatever they liked.

Two men leaned on the vines acting as railing for the wooden bridges. They stood brawny and buff, towering tall. Their bodies were scarred and half covered in the pelts of Bandit Badgers. Unbelievable. Humans that killed those terrifying beasts had to separate them from their group, outsmart them, and overpower them. Undoubtedly, they were swift, strong, smart, and lucky.

"Who fucking cares, Matt! Did you even fight it upfront? I knew you picked a vixen just as young and inexperienced as you!" sneered the man on the left.

"How can you bring home one catch after a whole week! Aren't you too proud being so useless for so long?!" jeered the man on the right.

"Fuck off, Bondo Brothers! You always shit on my ideas! If we can get more food, who cares how it's gotten? I proved we don't need to rely on our might and fight back against the forest by our own hands!"

Their faces filled with disappointment in the boy. The Brothers ridiculed his cowardly methods to snare and constrict prey because it unrewarding, since practically all animals in this forest have survival instincts and skills that easily evade or overpower traps. I should know this the best. These primitive villagers thought if they no longer had brave and strong men, the ferocious forest animals would kill them all. Strength was the natural law of the forest. This was likely why Matt was alone.

"Get stronger, Matt. We don't have time to nurture men who can't fight. Learn from Boris the Bonehead. If you can throw spears like him, you can become great," the man on the right said. The two brothers left.

"Fucking assholes! Can't I get any acknowledgement for my efforts? I hunted! Isn't that the point of my traps?" Matt muttered.

I knew he secretly regretted boasting because his stubborn insistence finally paid off. He received no praise in the experienced community. They understood that his new method of traps would work and it could catch more prey with less danger. Still, it did not get as much food for all the effort wasted. A savage usually hunted twice a day to eat. Even gatherers of these villages brought home more food than Matt's method. Hell, Nomtu trees practically were everywhere and nutritious enough to serve as a staple food.

Matt sighed. He climbed to his own home in shame. Night was nearing and he looked like he wouldn't last a moment longer. He left us next to his bag and the vixen on his small shelf, and his gear on the floor. It didn't take long for him to sleep in his bed of padded leaves. He groaned, likely from soreness.

I sniffed deeply and memorized his odor, as well as the surroundings. I nudged Catherine to see if she woke but she didn't. Well, more for me then.

I pulled my agonizing limbs up and hopped over to the vixen.

It's time to eat!