“Lei-Lei?” (L)

Clutching at the clothing brought before him, Leion squinted at the name embroidered on its collar.

It felt patronising.

‘This… might’ve been a terrible idea’

It didn’t seem so bad at first. When the tiger woman started pampering Leion, a lot of thoughts spun in his mind. Mainly, and most importantly, how to keep this sort of arrangement ongoing. It had been a long time since he was young enough to enjoy the easy life. Being fed and taken care of was a blessing like no other.

Leion got a little giddy at the thought of having a personal maid.

The tiger woman appeared able, and the idea sounded much better than toughing it in the wild. So much better; in fact, he found himself unconsciously muttering his intentions. Her agreement was swift, which should’ve been expected given all her motherly energy and vibes. There was no way she’d leave Leion alone. Alas, what wasn’t expected was the unwanted job.

“Hurry.”

Sat a few steps away at the now table of two was the tiger woman.

‘Someone’s impatient’

Putting on the clothing, Leion couldn’t help but feel it was a little too over the top. Frankly, it looked like something cosplayers would wear. A very stereotypical witch's robe. The only thing missing was a comically large, pointed hat. Glancing at the round table before the tiger woman, it appeared wouldn’t be the case for long.

Done dressed, Leion walked up to the tiger woman.

“Uh-Uhm,” (L)

‘Damn it, what was her name again?’

Leion couldn’t remember if she ever introduced herself and wasn’t that willing to ask. Offending another being that held power over him due to his lack of attention wasn’t a good idea.

“Do I need to wear that?" (L)

“Master.”

“Huh?” (L)

“I am your Master.” (M)

‘Right…’

“Do I need to wear that… Master?” (L)

“Yes.” (M)

The oversized hat on the table was then lifted and placed down on Leion. Feeling his new fluffy ears slightly poke out through two holes, Leion sighed.

‘At least there’s a strap’

Sadly, it was as loose as the hat itself. If a sharp wind came, it would result in the strap being caught by his neck and the hat landing on his back.

The tiger woman, his apparent Master, inspected Leion’s appearance. Straightening out his clothes and parting the hair before his eyes. It felt like she was grooming him. Satisfied with the subtle changes she made, his new Master stood up.

“Let’s go over your duties in detail.” (M)

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Sweep sweep

Leion glanced up.

Sweep sweep

The repetitive motion of his broom echoed through the otherwise quiet room. Was she seriously going to watch him the entire time? The broom, which was a rough collection of sticks, already felt heavy in his hand.

‘This is going to take forever’

Looking around the room, Leion felt exhausted just imagining the effort. The countless white hairs that littered the place wouldn’t be going anytime soon.

‘Does this lady know what “take care” means’

Leion continued working with a heavy heart. For crying out loud, he hadn’t even eaten a thing, yet she was putting him to such backbreaking work.

‘Wait a minute…’

How did Leion not notice it?

“M-Master, do I get to eat something as well?” (L)

There, in the hands of his Master, resided tiny morsels of meat.

‘When did she leave to get that?’

Eyeing the snack-sized meat, Leion endured the unpleasant feelings overtaking his heart. While he suffered and toiled to keep this place clean, the very owner of the place sat comfortably, not helping. Too busy feasting on snacks.

He might be better off in the wild.

“No.” (M)

The eyes of the cold tiger woman met Leion’s own. Suddenly, she stood and advanced to the door.

“I’ll be back soon. Make sure you finish up.” (M)

Wrenching the door open, the tiger woman gave one last look at Leion before exiting.

A smile crept on Leion’s face.

It was time.

Warmly cuddled in the bed, Leion took time to reflect.

If it wasn’t already obvious, clearly, he didn’t die. He was just abducted by a semi-benevolent tiger woman, spirit, God thing, and subjugated to work. Honestly, it was hard to tell if dying was really the worst case here.

The basis in which Leion drew his conclusions of life were simple. One, without knowing why, he was certain that that tiger woman was the same tiger he’d met earlier. Two, he hasn’t come face to face with that entity again. These weren’t the best evidence to draw such conclusions, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

Sigh

‘What is my situation?’

Nothing felt right, not even his body.

Going from a human form to formlessness, then to a tiger's body, and back to human again was an utterly disorienting experience.

Feeling a tail curl up and touch his leg, Leion paused.

Almost human again anyway.

‘Ugh, this body feels uncomfortable’

It had only been a few days, but the body of the tiger had quickly grown on Leion. While it wasn’t better than being formless, it was certainly better than being a weird human hybrid. There must be a way to go back. Leion needs to figure out the way.

‘Hehe, if I manage that…’

He won’t have to be subjected to this unreasonable work. The life of an attendant wasn’t for him. Already, he has been assigned two daily activities. Sweeping and airing out the bed sheets. The former he already managed to accomplish today, while the latter… yeah, just no, Leion had no desire to leave the cabin. And, anyhow, it wasn’t like she would be able to tell if he aired the thing. What was the point of such a pointless activity?

“Ow, ow!” (L)

Rapidly escaping the covers, Leion fought to protect himself against the onslaught of hidden attacks.

“What is your problem—! Cough I-I mean, how can I help you?” (L)

The impassionate face of the tiger woman greeted Leion.

Remembering to keep a professional profile with these types, Leion diligently answered in spite of the lacklustre call.

“Didn’t I tell you to finish?” (M)

“Yes.” (L)

“Have you finished?” (M)

Was this a trick question or what?

“Yes?” (L)

Looking around the room, not a single snowy hair could be spotted.

“Oww!” (L)

Covering the hand cop that landed directly on his face, Leion held his tongue.

“Does this look clean to you?” (M)

The tiger woman grabbed one corner of the bedsheets. She lifted it up, revealing a small clamp of snow-coloured hair. A hairball if you would.

Seeing the tiger woman staring, Leion gauged her reaction.

“Yes… No?”

Another cop landed on Leion’s face.

“Don’t play around with work.” (M)

The tiger woman pulled out a bowl similar to before from her robe. It contained a pinkish concoction Leion had recently fallen in love with. The basic combination of what tasted like milk and meat was so filling after days hungry. Scooting closer, Leion opened and awaited.

The tiger woman complied.

Pouring the concoction down his waiting mouth. Leion drank, drank, and drank some more even as the hand feeding him slowly started to pull away. He continued to follow the bowl until the hand had pulled back far enough that it left contact with his lips. Reaching up, he tried to pull the bowl closer, only to have his hands swatted away.

“You can have the rest once you finish.” (M)

“Huh?” (L)

The tiger woman got up without further word and went to sit at the table.

Leion silently glared at her.

Did she think he was a dog? A dog she could train and that would yield to such provocations?

Getting up, Leion snatched the wad of hair and then slinked across the room. Creaking the door the slightest bit open, he threw it out. Walking to where the tiger woman sat, he stood in front of her and waited. The woman, for her part, merely pointed to the bed sheets.

This was going to take a while.