Chapter 85: Mutated Cat
Luna Dawson stood up and calmed the bristling Little Tiger.
She walked in front of the others. "It’s okay. I’ll go check on it. Don’t move."
Only when she got closer did she see that the White Cat was covered in all sorts of scratches and bites. There was even a gash on its side so deep the bone was visible.
Although the specks of blood on its fur were jarring, they couldn’t hide its sleek and glossy coat.
"Little guy, you’ve been eating well for someone surviving on their own."
As soon as Luna Dawson finished speaking, the White Cat lowered its body into a crouch, like a hen settling on its eggs, and stared intently at the human who had spoken to it.
Rhonda Dawson’s heart leaped into her throat, and she fought the urge to pull Luna Dawson back.
Luna Dawson looked back, signaling for her to relax. She pulled a giant catnip ball from her spatial storage and dangled it in front of the cat.
The White Cat only glanced at it before continuing to stare at Luna Dawson.
Luna Dawson squatted down and rolled the ball to the base of the wall where the cat was crouching.
The White Cat sniffed it, arched its back, and with a HISS!, its fur stood on end as it lunged at Luna Dawson.
Rollo, who had been warily watching the creature’s every move, leaped in front of Luna Dawson and swatted it away, sending it flying into the wall.
Before it could get up, the dog’s paw pinned the White Cat’s head to the ground, immobilizing it.
"GRRR! WOOF WOOF!"
Rollo bared his teeth and let out a low growl at the White Cat.
Little Tiger, with its tail between its legs, circled the captured White Cat, letting out a few "KAKAKA!" cat-like cries.
Even while pinned by a much larger Aberrant Beast, the White Cat continued to glare viciously at the people on the roof. It hated all humans equally.
Luna Dawson sighed, walked over, and squatted down in front of the White Cat, looking down at it.
"Even if it was unintentional, we really did use you to avoid the rat tide today. Why come here just to look for trouble?"
Miles Dawson lowered his voice. "Sis, do you think it can understand you?"
Luna Dawson cupped her chin. "I’ll have Little Tiger and Rollo relay the message."
Afterward, Little Tiger HISSED at the White Cat, then chattered KAKAKA and MEOWED for a moment. The White Cat closed its eyes.
Everyone found it very strange.
Aaron Palmer looked curious. "Did it give up?"
Little Tiger shrank down, rubbed against Luna Dawson’s pant leg, and then squatted to one side and started washing its face.
Luna Dawson watched the White Cat with interest. She tentatively reached out her hand, letting it sniff her scent.
"Little thing, want to come with me? Room and board included!"
With that, Luna Dawson waved her hand, and a wooden bathtub appeared in the empty space nearby. It was filled to the brim with fist-sized catnip balls.
Two fish, a salmon and a tuna, each about a meter long, were placed in front of the White Cat.
The White Cat opened its eyes and looked at Luna Dawson. Its pupils dilated and contracted, its fierce expression softening into curiosity.
The pressure and killing intent from the high-level Aberrant Beast dissipated, and everyone instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
Rollo lifted his paw, releasing the White Cat.
Luna Dawson patted Little Tiger and Rollo on the head. ’It’s a good thing I brought them out. The evolutionary speed of mutated flora and fauna must be much faster than humans. These guys have probably all reached the Second-stage Middle Stage.’
’No wonder my First-Order self couldn’t sense the presence of these Aberrant Beasts.’
Freed from its restraint, the White Cat went forward and sniffed the catnip. It then stood on its tiptoes, pounced on the salmon, let out a "MROW," snatched the fish, and leaped onto the wall. After one last look at Luna Dawson, it disappeared into the night.
Rollo snorted, shrank down in size, and nudged his head against Luna Dawson, whining a few times before trotting back into the house with a PITTER-PATTER.
"Sigh..."
The crisis was over, but Luna Dawson sighed. What a shame.
Kevin Keane’s tense nerves relaxed. He teased, "Looks like not every little guy is so easily tricked."
Lynn Shelby scooped up Little Tiger from the ground and guessed, "That little thing must be disappointed in us humans. It’s way too guarded."
Aaron Palmer fiddled with the catnip balls in the tub and looked at Luna Dawson. "Luna, you’re so prepared! You even have so many of these things!"
He tossed one in the air and brought it to his nose for a sniff.
"It doesn’t really smell like anything. Do kittens like this stuff?"
Just as he finished speaking, a white figure leaped up again.
It shot to Aaron Palmer’s side with a HISSS! that startled him so badly he dropped the catnip ball.
The White Cat’s eyes gleamed as it immediately grabbed the catnip ball with its paws and began kicking it around. The sight left everyone so dumbfounded they forgot to even make a sarcastic comment.
As if sensing the many intense gazes upon it, the White Cat abruptly stopped. It suddenly remembered it wasn’t here to play!
’His Lordship the Cat was here for the big fish!’
So, it let out a raspy "Meow" to ease the awkwardness.
Then, ignoring everyone’s reaction, it snatched the tuna and leaped toward the next building, disappearing in a few bounds.
Miles Dawson, a mix of shock and disgust on his face, said, "Ew! That voice sounds like it’s clogged with ancient phlegm."
Evan Olson chuckled and patted the startled Aaron Palmer. "Seems it really likes Luna’s gifts."
Bull, standing in the corner, immediately explained, "Boss! Boss Lady! That’s the boss of the cat cafe that got wiped out."
Everyone nodded. It seemed the old woman hadn’t been lying. The poor little thing.
On the second floor of the building next door, the White Cat was devouring the fresh fish.
A flicker of longing appeared in its eyes, only to be replaced by wariness.
’Except for my dead master, no human can be trusted!’
It remembered its master, who had been very busy a while ago. He was always holding a brick-like object, either muttering at the screen or swiping his fingers across it, so busy he barely touched the ground, all just to stock up on more goods and supplies.
The change began with a rain of fire.
That night, fiery embers began to fall from the sky, like a shower of Fireballs.
What was even stranger was that after the fire rain, its mind suddenly cleared. Before, understanding its master’s gestures and words had been like looking through a fog, blurry and indistinct. But after that day, it could precisely understand its master’s meaning with just a single glance.
It remembered its master hoarding supplies like a madman. The warehouse was piled high with cat food and canned cat food, and several rooms upstairs were stuffed with human food and drink.
Its master had tried so hard, but in the end, he couldn’t escape the disaster brought by his own kind. The White Cat tore at the salmon, its fangs clenching with unspoken force, its heart filled with regret and fury.
On the day of the incident, there was a KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK at the door. It was a little boy’s voice, timid and choked with tears. "Mister... can you open the door? I’m so hungry. My parents turned into monsters, and now nobody wants me..."
The White Cat had been lying on the second floor and clearly heard its master sigh behind the door, hesitating for a long time.
It heard its master mutter to himself, "I grew up all alone too. How can I just watch a child freeze to death outside?"
Its master’s heart softened, and he even shed tears of pity.
Hours passed like this. Outside, there was no sound other than the little boy’s sobs. In the end, its master couldn’t bear it anymore and slowly raised the roll-up door.
He had just leaned out halfway when he saw the little boy’s expression change in an instant. His face twisted with murderous intent, all traces of his pitiful act gone.
The boy pulled a kitchen knife from his coat and slashed at the master’s chest, cursing as he hacked away, "You son of a bitch! So hard to trick! You made me freeze out here for so long, see if I don’t chop you to death!"
Its master was completely stunned. He had been focused on guarding against dangers in the surroundings, but he had let his guard down completely when it came to the pitiful little brat in front of him.
"AHHH!"
Hearing its master’s agonizing scream, the White Cat and its other companions instantly panicked and rushed out in a frenzy.