1 A Stray Cat Falls Into A Pond

It all started with me waking up in a forest of green under a tree with falling leaves. They were colored with the autumn palette of brown, red, gold, and orange.

Of course, when my eyes opened up, I was startled, I let out a faint "ah!"

It took a while to get my bearings. I checked myself, and asked stupid questions that came from my mouth, "these are my hands right?!" or "Do I have the same face?!" or "I wonder if my size is bigger down there…" Those types of questions… haha.

Anyways I got up from where I was sitting and I started walking, I didn't know where I was going, I was just mostly taking everything in and once in a while I let out a "Woah!" While trekking through the forest.

I think soon after I started wandering I tripped on a rock. My arms flailed in the air as I rolled down the petite hill into a fishpond.

"Aaah!" I screamed as I made the biggest splash I ever made in my life, or past life I should say.

The pond was at least five to six feet deep possibly because I was able to stand up with my head above the water.

I slowly swam to the shore and then I pushed myself up with my arms to sit down on the muddy dirt.

I thrashed my hands into the air to get some of the dirt off and then rolled my shirt and squeezed.

"Yea… wet, my only clothes when I came to this world. ha…." I groaned with frustration, but I felt oddly embarrassed, I felt that someone could be watching me.

Maybe from behind a tree or a bush, but someone out there in those shrubs was probably laughing hysterically at my miserable self.

And sure enough, someone stepped out with a face that struggled not to giggle. It was a girl with azure like hair and marble blue eyes. Her clothing makes her look like a farmer of some kind.

"You… hah… need… haha… help… hahaha! Don't you?"

Off into a new world and the first thing to greet me is a laughing girl. I feel frustrated, embarrassed, depressed, every negative low self-esteem connotation was running through my mind about myself.

"T-thanks."

She went around the pond and extended her hand to me, "Stand up, I can't help if you're still on the floor like that!" She said smiling at me. I couldn't help but take her hand.

I just realized, how do I look like? Did I have the face of a middle-aged man or that of a young boy, but soon enough once we reached this azure girl's house…

"Oh my! Who's this young lad you brought? And why are you both filthy?! Go wash off both of you!" The woman didn't look a day over forty-five I'm guessing, she was also a bit chubby on the outside and had puffy cheeks. I feel like I'm being offensive… sorry!

She seemed to be the mother, she showed so much hospitality to a random person she just met. I wonder if this new whole world is like this.

I stepped into the bathroom first because I was the dirtiest. The bathroom was small, quite like the house, it was also made out of wood everything was. The toilet was a hole that had a cover on it and the wooden bathtub was smooth.

I washed with the bucket and the dirt was drained away by this tiny hole in the bathtub.

After rinsing I I covered the gap with this wooden tab at the side, filled the tub with water and bathed for a while, the bar soap felt rough, but it was enough to clean any excess left.

"Hey, you done?" The girl knocked loudly which shook me up, In all honesty, I didn't know that I fell asleep, well I was completely spent.

"Sorry! I didn't mean too…" I finished myself up and swung a towel they gave around my waist, then I opened the door to find an irritated girl right behind.

"What're you doing falling asleep in a place like that?"

"How'd you know I fell asleep?"

"Because… you took a long time."

Why did I even ask?

However I wasn't the only one that took a lengthy bath, but during the time that she was, I walked out into the living room.

"Sorry… but do you have clothes."

A middle-aged man was sitting down at the kitchen table who was playing a game of cards.

He turned his head over to me and asked,

"Are you the man that my daughter brought home?"

I was stone cold, the father had a scruffy looking beard and that intimidating look on his face, his eyes were practically daggers.

"I didn't mean anything by it! She… she only helped me out." I lifted my hands as if I were surrendering.

"haha! You seem to be okay! From the way you speak, you haven't talked to a girl have you? Well, go get changed my wife laid out some clothes for you in our room, it's on the left down the hallway you came from."

"Oh, thank you!" I walked off but was immediately stopped by his hand.

"I know you won't do anything, but I'll say it once to be clear, don't be taking advantage of my daughter's kindness lightly."

His deep voice gave me shivers, he was for sure going to haunt my dreams.

He let me go and I walked toward the bedroom where the wife was in the drawers reorganizing things.

"Let me fix this up real quick and I'll let you change… sorry about this."

"I should be the one sorry…"

"Oh, did my husband get to you? He's always like that. You shouldn't be sorry."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Shortly after she was done she walked out and closed the door. I got myself dressed. Then, in the corner of my eye, I noticed a mirror hanging on the left side of the wall near the drawers she was just reorganizing.

"Is that me?" I had black hair with ears pointing out. I had eyes similar to that of a feline and to be honest, I think I look cuter than I did in my former life.

Also, I look about seventeen, the same age I was back then.

Then I felt something brush against my hand as if it was trying to get attention.

How did I not notice this tail from earlier? It felt so natural I didn't even think much of it until now, but looking back I do remember washing this long tail in the bathtub.

But, the only thing missing were the claws.

After I was done changing I walked back out into the living room. The wife was cooking something in the kitchen and the old man was twiddling with his fingers still playing his game.

"Oh my, you look nice in those overalls! I hope it isn't to tight for your tail though." She spoke once I walked in, She sewed a hole on the back for my tail to go through, it wasn't tight at all, she did a good job.

The dad also seemed to notice my presence but he was too focused on his cards.

"T-thank you again!" I bowed down.

She then told me to sit down at the table, then she brought a huge platter filled with an assortment of food. It was steaming with rice and vegetables, this world seemed so alike from my homeworld more than I realized.

Until a bit later in the evening when I was a hit with quite a shock, but that came later.

Meanwhile, the azure girl ran out with a towel and yelled, "why didn't you wake me up to tell me we were eating!"

"Dress up first you damn girl!" The father also yelled back, he also steered my head away from her and told me not to look.

How does one instantly wake up to the smell of food? It still boggles my mind.

The sun was setting and we were eating dinner, the girl was dressed up in wool pajamas. They looked fluffy.

However as the dinner went on, I felt the feeling that they wanted to eagerly ask me something.

"Um…" I said aloud. They were all eating until the girl asked.

"So… where'd you come from? You a Stray?" Her mouth was filled with food, her cheeks were inflated.

"Oh, honey! Don't ask him something like that and swallow your food first! It's improper to talk with food in your mouth."

She seems like a cute girl, but that belief is slowly wilting away.

"I… don't know where I'm from. hahaha…" I didn't laugh.

"Oh, hon were you a slave?"

Oh, slaves exist in this world. The first red flag I've encountered.

"No, I wasn't…"

"So you're a stray?" The father blurted out. The mother seemed quite worried about him saying that.

"A stray? What's a stray?" I hesitantly asked.

They all looked bewildered but soon regained their composure. The father then answered my question.

"From what I've heard a stray is someone that disconnects themselves from their world, culture, or whatnot to travel. They're wandering souls, they have no real home."

So I'm a Stray… and to travel huh. Oddly enough the word travel struck me more than the fact that Strays have no home. I guess having something I'm not fixated to makes me feel… free.

"Yeah… I'm a Stray." I said soon after, but the father laughed at my gesture.

"Boy, you didn't even know what it was until I told you! You're a lost cat, not a stray and besides, if you were one, you wouldn't even last a day."

We continued to eat, and the mother said I was allowed to stay until I can recover from my predicament and provide myself with a suitable tenet.

The father was reluctant at first, but he allowed me to sleep in her daughter's room. Of course, he gave me a set of rules to follow.

"Don't talk to her. Don't even breathe near her. Don't even do anything. Why are you even staying?"

The girl then got cozy in the bed and told me to sleep. I was about to lay on the floor until she stopped me and asked, "what're you doing?"

She invited me to hop into the bed with her, but I was really, not into it.

"Your dad isn't going to… I don't think I'm ready too…"

"Well, I'm not going to let you sleep on the floor! And I don't want to sleep on the floor either."

I got into the blankets with her and we both stared at each other for a moment before she asked,

"What's your name? It's getting annoying not knowing your name."

"I uh… don't know." I didn't want to use my old name, but I couldn't think of one myself either.

"I'm just going to call you Stray then! Since you don't know what you want."

"I don't think that name fits me well…"

"Is it because of my dad? Well, don't think much of it because to me you look like the embodiment of a wandering soul."

"Do I?"

"Or you're just a really, lost cat, who knows! Hahaha!"

"How about you? What's your name?"

"My name? Its Anemone."