Chapter 92: A Paw-tner
[Narrator POV]
Cats.
The oh-so-cute creatures that we hug, cuddle, and pet, letting them freely into both our homes and our hearts.
But is it truly us who let them in?
Unlike dogs, which ancient human civilizations had to painstakingly train out of their wolfish tendencies as pups, it is the longstanding belief of most archaeologists that cats essentially domesticated themselves.
More than 10,000 years ago, these fluffy little murderbeasts realized they could get an easy meal by staking out Neolithic storerooms and farms for the rats and mice that were attracted to human settlements.
Thus, it is not humans who allowed these ferocious felines to live among us, but rather the trickery and deceit of the cats themselves. They convinced us to welcome them into our lives by offering their pest control services in exchange for food and shelter, all while maintaining their independence and aloofness.
Over time, they have grown even more unreserved in their act, with most no longer even bothering to hunt, instead being provided everything, from expensive cat trees to toys they will never play with twice by their supposed owners.
They break household objects, hiss, scratch, and complain, and still, we adore them, even going so far as to clean out their litter.
It is not them then who are true winners in this exchange?
[Kuzan POV]
I was momentarily stunned not by the 'cat's' antics but by the Goldfang's level of intellect and decisiveness.
In but a few moments not only did it determine the peril it was in but also found a perfect way to avoid the confrontation altogether.
'Kinda reminds me of Master Kaku,' as where my old Master would fake death to avoid defeat, this creature would instead use its 'cuteness' as the ultimate defense.
'I'm lost for words.'
Not only had the creature instantly started its act of pretending to be cute, it has also gone so far as showing its usefulness to me by taking down the warbear and bringing it back to me, much like how a housecat would bring back a mouse after a bountiful hunt, proud of its catch and asking for a plethora of pats once it triumphantly returns home.
Unfortunately for it, I was too familiar with its behavior and tricks, having owned a cat before in my previous life.
'It'll take way more than that to get me.'
"Humph," I turned my head at its behavior, not even giving it the time of day.
However, my actions only made it more determined to try and 'befriend' me, as cats are known to do.
Seeing as how I had yet to chase it off, its eyes flashed with intellect, as if congratulating itself for its initial victory, before switching to another 'form' of 'attack', this time showing me its belly without reservations.
'Chee, so stupid, I came looking for a fight not a circus cat.' I shook my head at its behavior, however considering that it had entertained me enough, I let it off the hook.
After all, what would be the fun in fighting a house cat?
"Go, shoo..." I waved my hand as if allowing it to leave, "go away."
However, it seemed that I underestimated the shamelessness of the residents of this world, as not just their people but even their animals were thick-skinned.
Instead of running off, the creature instead came closer, grooming my body with its locks that I was currently dodging.
'What the hell?'
This time, I was truly flabbergasted by its behavior, not understanding its thought process.
'There's no way this is normal, just what the hell's wrong with this Goldfang?'
[Narrator POV]
There was nothing wrong with the Goldfang's thoughts, instead it was very, very right. It was playing checkers while Kuzan was playing chess...
After all, why would it leave after having found such an amazing source of food?
The Goldfang could feel it, at the tips of its paws, the sheer quality of meals that it would get to hunt and receive if it followed this beast.
Thus, out of both self-preservation and self-interest, the Goldfang surrendered, showing its alliance to its new 'master'.
[Kuzan POV]
It was relentless in its conviction, showing me its belly, rubbing its fur against my body, weaving its gigantic body across my legs, casually brushing them as it did so.
"I don't have time for this," despite the small smile that was leaking out from my face, the little kitty cat's antics provided but a moment of enjoyment before becoming boring.
I did not entertain the feline further, running off in another direction to continue my search for my most elusive hunt yet.
'The faster I start looking, the faster I may be able to find it.' I was in no delusion about just how tricky finding this creature would be.
'It might take me weeks if not months at the very least, but it's worth it. I absolutely nee-'
"MEOW!"
I was broken out of my thoughts by an amusing ambush I had long foreseen...
"Lick, lick."
'God damn it.'
I was unable to find it in myself to 'chase' the little bugger away, and it was just too determined, always being able to find its way back to me.
'I know cats have a good sense of direction but still, this is too much...'
Before, I was defending my face from its powerful jaws, which were currently being used to clasp my leg in place to prevent me from leaving without him again.
"Let go."
All it took was a single demand for the kitty to stop its annoying behavior and release my leg from its playfulness.
'Hmm...interesting...' It wasn't just my use of the 'Divine Tongue' skill that was allowing me to command the beast.
I had, of course, tried it with various other creatures before, however, the only one I was able to communicate with was the forest spirit.
'This Goldfang on the other hand,' I thought while giving him a pat on the head, 'I can read his emotions clear as day.'
In a certain sense, it was even easier to communicate with the Goldfang as it was much like trying to understand the objectives of a child...though they might have a limited vocabulary, they were much more direct in asking what they want.
No lies, and no deceit.
'Still,' my eyes sharpened, 'there's no free meal in the jungle.'
Although I was starting to like the cub, it was not enough yet to win me over.
Fortunately, I had just the right task for it to prove its usefulness...
I grabbed a nearby stick and did my best to draw out my prey onto the ground.
Although I was far from an artist, the picture was at least enough for the kitty to get an idea of who I was trying to locate.
The Goldfang nodded its head as if understanding my plight and directed me with a swipe to follow its lead.
'It's doing pretty good so far...' By asking it to track my prey for me, not only was I testing whether it was useful enough to keep around for the future, I was also utilizing its knowledge and experience as one of the top predators of the vast forest.
'There's just no way to compare to the abilities of a local.'
And if it truly was able to locate the elusive creature...
'Won't it then become a beacon of fun?'
[Narrator POV]
Symbiosis.
It is defined as a close, prolonged association between two or more different biological species.
The relation is only symbiotic when both parties involved benefit from the interaction, unlike its counterpart a parasitic relation where only one benefits while the other is harmed.
Examples of this relationship can be seen throughout nature...
From bees and flowers,
From ants and aphids,
And even from inside our very own selves in the form of gut bacteria and our health.
All are known as mutualistic relationships...
[Kuzan POV]
'It stalks while I hunt, it does the boring work while I get to reap the reward...'
[Narrator POV]
What then is the relation between this man and beast?
A man capable of causing trouble and a beast looking for trouble?
Is it anything but the essence of symbiosis?
[Kuzan POV]
I was like a monkey, swinging from tree to tree all the while following the feline as it led me to my hunt...
Suddenly, it stopped, refusing to move a step closer. Instead, it let out a small yawn of satisfaction, knowing that moving any closer or producing any sound would undoubtedly lead to our target running away at the tiniest twitch.
'Good kitty,' I patted its head with my hand, causing shallow purrs to ring out uncontrollably from its mouth.
"Purrr, purrr."
Eventually, I stopped my pats as the little cub grew tired of the affection and laid down its head to rest, which I gladly allowed it to do after being such a good partner.
It laid down lazily after having completed its portion of the deal...and now it was time to complete mine.
To let the feline feast on a meal worthy of its royal canines.
A creature of legend that it alone would never be able to hunt.
A creature as rare as wings on a cat, and a sight as fulfilling as the morning sun.
A creature impossible to tame by those not pure of heart, fleeing at the mere sight of venom or disgust.
A creature as rare as...well...
'a unicorn.'
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