Curious, like a cat

It was late into the night when the storm was beginning to run its course, gone were the thunderous flashes lighting the sky every few minutes as now only the repeating pitter-patter of rain landing over the cabin roof could be heard. He continued petting the stray cat, running his hand over her furry head while being careful not to rub the area of swelling. This wound was a sight he was once familiar with but from memory he couldn't recall any medicinal treatment for it, much less to care for a feline. Although he had kept her beside the fireplace for warmth, he was careful to keep the heat away from her head and opted to lay her down on her side with her paws closest to it. A small clay bowl was beside her, he stuck it out of the windowsill to collect some rainwater before retrieving it back for her.

Cats like milk, yes? It was a foolish question for the educated to be asked, but for him he scratched his head and pursed his lips in thought. Dogs were an animal he had encountered before, wolves were similar albeit far more aggressive and territorial it seemed. But cats? He had seen them before slipping through shadowy corridors or under shops at populated markets where many food produce would be sold or spoiled. But he hadn't a clue how cats were to be treated and fed when it came to ownership.

Well, in his mind he decided it was not out of the question to assume that the poor creature would reject a bowl of water to quench its thirst. It was getting late into the night by now, his eyes were beginning to feel heavy with sleep as he watched the lonely cat sleep peacefully, kept wrapped around with his tunic. A yawn his mouth to open wide and his arms followed in par with a wide stretch. No reason to delay the inevitable now, he picked his feet up and pushed him toward the front door to ensure that it had been latched. It was true that Auguste lived a quiet and isolated life far from any neighbors or travelers but it couldn't hurt for him to be secured for his safety. It would be many full moons before his employer would return, and that left the farmhand alone to look after the cabin now. It wasn't any wandering travelers that worried him most, especially under this weather they were in.

It was the monsters that could be there.

These were no ordinary wildlife creatures, these could vary between thieving goblins, pillaging orcs, or perhaps a pack of wildmen in pursuit for conquering new territories and women to add to their growing numbers. He shuddered at the thought, but such implications were not the worst of what could stir around under the cover of darkness. He knew of one creature that thrives under the moonlight who fancied the thought of and adding more humans to their collection of prisoners for food or entertainment purposes.

Not him, he told himself as he peaked out the window, watching the rain slide down the glass like a clear cascade drowning his reflection. He licked his thumb and index before pinching the flame of the candle light perched next to the front door to extinguish the flame, leaving him in darkness. He stepped carefully around the sleeping cat, pushing the wooden door open as he dropped his trousers and made himself comfortable atop the mattress and under the covers. This time he opted to leave the door open, keeping the fire burning but under soft sparks. He was careful not to add to much logs to the fire unless he wanted to wake up to a warm bed with no cabin around, covered in ash and soot.

"Goodnight, KuliKuli." He whispered to his pet before resting his head against the pillow. When was the last time he wished anyone a good night? Maybe if he lived a more social life, but he wasn't taught how to do so. Friendship was a thing amongst children, and his childhood was long since taken from him. Once people grew to adult age, talking to strangers was typical if you wanted to gain something of value, either a trade or a favor. People were skeptical as was he, trust was a hard thing to come across these days.

He rolled over, wrapping the blanket around his bare chest, squeezing his eyes shut. At least he wasn't alone now. Sure he had the cows and chickens and stallions and mares in the barn, but none were the type of animals he could bring inside. Animals were easier to befriend then people, at least from his experience.

Animals didn't bite as much as people do.

The fireplace popped as it continued burning while the farmhand fell asleep, keeping its red glow near his new pet. The cat began to stir, it started with a twitch of its brown ear followed by a flicker from its white ear. Soon she had started to wiggle her hind legs, wondering why she found herself restrained. It kicked and pulled and rolled over onto its belly before unwrapping itself from the brown tunic, free to move around as it opened its eyes.

But it did not stop there.

When the cat opened her eyes, she felt an intense throbbing pain in her head. Immediately, she squeezed her eyes shut and stretched her front legs forward, lifting her hind quarters and pointing her tail up high. First, she started to grow in size as her front paws continued to reach further. Then, the fur surrounding her body began to shrink, growing thinner and thinner as a slight peachy skin began to emerge. Her little cat nose and whiskers also changed into a more recognizable slender nose and pink lips, but some features remained the same. Her eyes kept the same slit-like pupils with a beautiful tone of bright amber and gold, her white coat of fur contained some brown areas including her front right paw and her right ear. Her white tail grew larger and split into two, her breasts blosomed into perky soft mounds on her chest with nipples like the pink tip of an eraser on a wooden pencil.

The fur on her body had mostly disappeared, now this cat had emerged as a beautiful slender Nekomata, one who resembled the body and face of a naked woman with large paws for feet and hands as well as two tails and the addition of cat ears and cat eyes. She slipped her long tongue between her lips, running it across and wiggling her jaw around as she was hunched on all four. Carefully, she began to fold her legs in and pull herself back before attempting to stand up only to find her legs struggling to do so. They wobbled slightly and she fell back on her bare bottom onto the wooden floor with a soft thud!

She flinched, it wasn't painful but it helped remove the pain fixated at the back of her head. Reaching back, she pressed her furry white paw against her silver-white hair where the pain was located. Quickly, she pulled away with wide eyes when she felt a bump where her paw had touched. Alarms rang in her ears as she began to frantically look around, wondering where she was. This was no forest, she couldn't find the trees and the nasty loud boom in the sky had gone away, but the howling of the wind remained. She could see it outside the strange boxy space against the cabin wall, pressing her paw against it to feel its cool and hard texture. Rain was running against it as her mind tried to comprehend what a window was. She had seen them before but never from the other side of a...

Her eyes grew wide as she spun around upon hearing something squeak, was it a mouse?

No, it was the farmhand rolling onto his back in bed. The glow of her eyes peirced through the dark, allowing her true sight into the night as shadows were but a myth to her. She could tell that it was night as the place would change from a yellow tone into a blue one, and the bright yellow ball in the sky would run away from the three white balls that took its place. She stepped forward only to find the floorboard to squeak beneath her paw. Carefully, she lifted her paw up and leaned down to inspect if there were any mice under her step. When she stepped back, it squeaked again.

What was this place, why could she not feel the grass tickle her paws or the dirt squish under her steps?

Her tummy growled and fatigue began to settle in as her cat ears sunk and her tails dropped low. She rubbed her thin waist, noting how she could see her ribs under her breasts and feel them like bundles of sticks rolled together. How many days had it been since she had something to eat? Maybe changing into her Nekomata form didn't help since the transformation burns through her energy. Following her nose, she sniffed the air and made her way toward the small kitchen which looked more like a designated corner space of the living room rather than a separate room. A corner countertop with several cabinets on the top and bottom with several pots and pans hanging from the top. She fumbled with one cabinet using her paws only to find it useless to pry open, throwing her paws in the air with an audible huff. When she wiggled her nose, her senses picked up a faint smell of something sweet and fruity. She knelt down, attracted to where the scent came from until she pressed her nose into a particular area on the ground. Lifting her head in confusion, she pressed her paw against the wooden boards before making out the square outline of a cellar door. How odd, she tilted her head and flexed her right paw as four sharpened black claws protruded from her furry digits. Satisfied, she began gently running her claws into the floorboard before flinching at the loud noise it made when she cut into the wood. Looking back, she saw the man in the bed stir before laying still.

She sighed and leaned back, her tummy growling once more as she began smacking her dehydrated lips. If she could go outside, she could drink from the sky as it continued to rain but she hadn't a clue how to escape this brown box she was trapped in. Her eyes spotted a wooden bowl near the fire, bringing new life to her as her ears froze upward and she rushed over before dipping her chin into it. Quickly, her tongue lapped up more and more water until she felt dissatisfied and instead bit into the lid of the bowl, clenching her teeth and tipping her head back to allow its contents to flow into the back of her throat. She gulped it down eagerly, releasing the bowl as it fell beside her leg.

She exhaled, licking her lips and finding the satisfaction cut short as her stomach continued to roar from the inside. That bowl was good enough for three mouthfuls, she needed more. Baring her fangs, she rolled onto her four paws and made her way through the open door and into the bedroom. Who was this creature trapped inside with her, she wondered to herself.

She leaned onto the mattress with her arms folded and her chin resting over them, calmly observing his chest rise up and down with each breath. Feeling cautious, she pounced onto the bed above and leaned in for a closer look, accidentally removing the blanket from his body. He looked cute for a human, or as she remembered hearing it as a hoo-man. He carried a soft looking face with soft brown fur, or she supposed it was called hair when its atop the head, it was rather messy but still fit him neatly and contributed to his cuteness. No facial hair and no muscle or fat either, this hoo-man appeared to be really thin in fact. Does he not eat as often? Maybe he too was starving for food the same as she was.

So this man kidnapped her? Last she recalled, she snuck into a shed full of metal things to hide against the freezing rain and howling winds before something groaned and her vision went dark. Upon recovery, she found herself in this one's arms, cuddling her and spoiling her like a lost child. She loved it, but her tummy ached for more as it had been hours since she awoke in this hoo-man's house. Still, staring at him while he slept was rather peaceful for her, somewhat calming as it helped her forget about the pain in her head.

She noticed the blanket around him was stuck to her claws when she raised her arm only to find she had left long slashes into the blanket just by climbing up. It did not look good, so she was quick to retract her claws once again. Her belly reminded her of her hunger for food, she wondered if this hoo-man kept any food hidden somewhere around. She nudged around his waist with her paw, carefully inspecting his body and moving the blanket away from his waist. Hoo-man body's are... strange. Where was his fur, did he not have paws? His ears were missing and his arms had these odd fleshy things that looked like caterpillars with nails at the end. Are those meant to be his claws? They don't seem very sharp.

And yet, she couldn't help but get the feeling that as new as it was for her to see a hoo-man this close, that somehow she had met a hoo-man before. If she could only remember, she squeazed her eyes shut and groaned. It hurt to remember.

When she opened her eyes, they settled on something she was not familiar with at all. Around this hoo-mans waist was this weird thingy that reminded her of a cows udder. She licked her lips as she recalled savoring the taste of milk from a cow, it was her favorite. She remembered it was similar to feeding from her mother's breast when she was a young kitten, her mothers milk helped her grow big and strong. That was many years ago, she flinched as her head pulsated once more and the memories disappeared. Shaking her head, she looked back at her discovery and tilted her head before looking back at his calm face. His eyes remained closed and his chest continued rising at a gentle pace.

She shuffled around the mattress before resting between his legs and laying down, her golden eyes fixated on his udder. No, it was a bit bigger than an udder but her head couldn't help seeing it as one. Perhaps it was the hunger shrouding her thoughts, or perhaps it was the instincts of a monster girl demanding her to take action against her prey. She hadn't a clue where she was or if this creature was hostile, she couldn't even remember her past.

All she knew was at that moment, she was hungry and curious to learn more about this animal sleeping in front of her.