Sol’s ball of fire would have woken me if I had not spent the entire restless night thrashing about, gripped tight by the paws of past terrors. Wicked smiles, hideous laughs, unfathomable loss, and the utter inability to protect those I love made each moment torture. What more could I expect? What else do I deserve? If I beat Zei Sho, perhaps my eyelids wouldn’t need to fight against the weight of their exhaustion; perhaps I would have enjoyed even a moment of slumber.

Instead, I spent the night watching the occasional human storm by in their deafening chariot as Pablo Chingon’s strange exit from our dinner replayed in my head. Over and over. When not dealing with suspicions, I found myself fighting away bloody memories and waiting for the sun to rise, hoping its cleansing rays might offer me something other than pain.

But now, as radiant light crests the horizon, all I find is more sadness.

Pink pulls orange across the horizon, gradually taking ground from the purples and blues that reigned over my sleepless night. The warmth spills over the tall buildings bordering the park, bouncing off windows to form a shimmering collage of morning majesty. How terribly beautiful. It’s the type of sunrise Chiyo would have jumped from the den to see.

“Master Chingon wants to speak to you.”

My claws stab into bark. I clamor from my nook in the giant camphor branch, spinning ferally. Azura sits smugly, smirking at me as fiery beams of first light fight through the canopy and dot her pristine coat. I try my best not to look shocked by her arrival. But how?! Despite not finding a wink of sleep, how was she still able to find a way to sneak behind me? Not a sound. Not a scent. How long has she been there, and how could I ever hope to match such skill?

“Well, come on,” she instructs, lunging down to a lower branch.

She’s already out of sight by the time I’m halfway down the trunk. Knowing her, she’s either grovelling at her master’s side or stalking behind me, ready to make a fool of me.

Thankfully, neither is true. Instead, I find the great cloud of a cat sitting alone on the porch, the most unamused expression pulling on his fluffy face. He taps the ground with his tail as I approach.

“I didn’t have a chance to thank you for dinner.”

His icy eyes analyze me frigidly.

“So, um, Azura said you wanted to talk? Where is she anyways?” I flap awkwardly.

Pablo stares. And stares…

“I’ve sent her on a mission,” he reveals after an excruciating delay. “There’s something we must discuss in private.”

“Oh?”

“But first… I have a question that must be answered thoughtfully.” He sucks in a long breath as I steep in anxious anticipation. “Tell me, what do you plan to do with this new life of yours? With this curse?”

“I will return home, kill Zei Sho, and reclaim my family’s honor. That much is clear.” There’s no need to consider or contemplate; my body knows this need the same way it knows to breathe. “Curse or not, vengeance will be mine. It must.”

Chingon lets out a breath, more huff than sigh. “You’re sure that is the path you want to take?”

“It is my only path.”

“Paths are funny things, you know. Take the same one twice, and you’re sure to notice branches you missed the first time,” he rambles. “We Nekostu are uniquely positioned to learn this lesson thoroughly. All the lives I’ve lived, the countless years, they’ve taught me to consider my course carefully before committing. Life may bring hardships, but only a fool thinks they are the point of it all.”

My paws clench. I don’t bother searching for his point. It doesn’t matter anyways; I will not falter. I cannot abandon this path.

“When I close my eyes, all that remains is my need for retribution, my family’s need for justice. That is the compass guiding me through this cruel, chaotic world. It is the air that fills my lungs and the blood that flows through my veins.”

“Very well…” He stands. “I would advise you to flow with the path of least resistance, but I’ve learned the futility of trying to dissuade a Nekotsu from their goal. So, Bokuden, your training starts today.”

“Training?”

“That’s right. You may have potential, but you’re as unpolished as a sand-buried turd; a dull katana in desperate need of a whetstone. Your enemy has already slayed you once. Returning without a sharper blade would be an exercise in insanity. So, starting now, you will follow my orders.” I open my mouth in objection, but his paw lifts, silencing the impending interruption. “In return, I will give you the gift of my tutelage, along with a place to stay and a fair share of food. Hopefully, with the skills I impart, you will gain the strength needed to find balance.”

“I…” I need to return home, but it would be foolish to refuse this cat’s offer. Wouldn’t it? While senile, he did display undeniable skill when dispatching that dog. There’s no chance I could’ve held my own against an adversary like that. His pupil also carries herself with unnatural silence and grace, clear indicators of advanced training. As painful as delaying my siblings’ justice is, what better chance do I have to seize it than this?

“Well?”

I lower my head into a deep bow. “I gratefully accept your offer, Master.”

“Wonderful,” he smiles. “Now, as your master,” the smile plummets from his lips, “I demand that you reconsider your goal.”

“Never!” Should have seen something like this coming from the senile geezer.

“Oh, the stubbornness of Nekotsu is truly an unmatched force of nature…” he sighs regretfully. “Very well, it was worth a shot. You leave me no choice. I’ll help you grow strong. Hopefully, that strength will drag you closer to wisdom than the words of an old cat can.”

“Master, may I ask something of you?” I bow again.

“You really don’t need to be so formal.”

“Do not think me ungrateful, but I must know: why are you doing this? Why help me?”

“Call it charity. Pity? Responsibility. Maybe I simply wish to visit my shrine without being disrupted every time you get yourself killed. Or maybe it’s because of you. Your obsession with honor, or all that potential? Whatever the case, it is easy to trust others when Azura’s around. Makes the decision low risk for me. She’d gladly cut off your paws if I’ve misjudged your character,” he chuckles dryly, then his eyes take on that serious look again. “In truth, I’m not so sure I can tell you…”

“Hmm.” There’s been no reason to distrust the cat, other than the toll advanced age has taken on his mind. But he has welcomed me into his home, fed me, and given me a safe place to sleep. Besides, what other options do I have? “I suppose it doesn’t matter as long as you make me strong enough to defeat Zei Sho.”

“How much strength you gain is up to you and you alone, but I will give you the tools you need to grow. Now hold out your paw and close your eyes,” he commands. 

I obey.

And wait.

Eyes closed, paw extended. I wait, hoping to be handed some grand revelation, and wait… And wait.

An eruption of laughter forces my eyes open as Master puffball giddily packs a pinch of nip into his pipe.

“Glad to see you’re ready to follow orders,” he chuckles heartily at my expense.

“Testing me, old cat?!” I grit my teeth.

“Lesson one: Try to enjoy yourself, at least a little. To live a life without joy is to disgrace the nature of cathood. Being a cat is a true luxury, my young friend. Your soul has journeyed long and hard to get this close to enlightenment. Surely, if we were meant to suffer, the Mikoneko would’ve given us only one life,” he says, poking my forehead with a toe bean.

Ridiculous. But remember, this cat is my master now. My infuriating master. Stifle the glare.

“And lesson two?”

“Still in a rush, I see… Fine. Lesson two: I prefer fatty fish, while Azura prefers lean.” He smirks, igniting the pipe with a tap of his tail.

“And how does that help me?”

“It will guide your paw on your first mission. Now go and procure our dinner…” He puffs a large plume of smoke past my head. “And keep in mind, having Azura as an ally is a valuable thing.”

“Now? But what of my training?”

“Lesson three: Everything is training.” He flicks his tail at me, stinging me with a tiny zap. “Now get going; you don’t know this area. It could take a while.”

“Fine!” I nurse the sting with a ginger paw. “But mark my words, I shall return with a far bigger bounty than last night’s measly scraps.”

“Oh?”

“I stake my honor on it! When I return, it shall be to the applause of you and that she-cat, with a procession of delectable fish in tow. The city will sing songs of my unmatched hunt for years to come. Every alleyway will tell tales of our evening feast. Then you will know that I am ready to receive the secrets of your power.”

“We’ll see,” he smirks.

. . .

What a foul old trickster. 

Fish, either fatty or lean, need water. That is certain. I’m also certain that this Sol-forsaken park is completely isolated from any source of the stuff. Cruel, devious cats. Master puffball and his shadow sidekick are probably laughing their tails off at me, rolling around, high on nip, while I trudge across an eternity’s worth of concrete. Ugh, of all things, fish! I can’t remember the last time I caught one in the…

That’s it!

That explains the colorful package Azura carried in. Damn it! I’ve spent hours searching for water. Back and forth, round and round. Nothing more than entertainment for the snickering crows overhead. That’s why he said procure! Not hunt. Foolish! Foolish and narrow-minded. Burning embarrassment washes over me. My overconfident guarantee dances above me like heat waves over summer asphalt.

I must return with fish. Fatty and abundant. I must fulfill my promise and show Azura that Master Chingon has a new top pupil.

“Hey, you up there!” I call to the duo of crows watching me from a wire high above. They look down, twist their heads, and whisper something apparently hilarious to each other. Damn crows. “Hey! Is there a market around here?”

“Market? A market? What kind?” The smaller of the two caws.

“Fish…” I say uncertainly.

“Fish don’t typically participate in commerce,” the other pipes in.

“Maybe a raccoon market?” The smaller crow asks the larger.

“No, no. A human market!”

“Raccoons don’t typically participate in the sale of humans.”

Oh, how I’d love to scream. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t make information any more plentiful. Damn wings. If I had my own, this search would be easier, and perhaps I’d be able to fly up there and repay these birds for their help. Instead, I force a calming breath.

“What about a market where humans sell fish to other humans?” I ask slowly enough to control my tone.

“Well, yeah,” the larger bird says, like it’s as obvious as the sun in the sky.

“There’s a whole shopping street that way,” the other lifts his wing in the opposite direction of the park. “Five or so blocks down, then a few to the left… or, maybe the right? Hmm…”

“He’ll smell it; he’s a cat.”

“You’ll smell it,” the smaller crow relays.

Crows are too smart to be unaware of the hassle they’re putting me through. Regardless, a lead is a lead, and of those, my selection is rather limited. All I can do is follow their direction and pray this isn’t just a joke at my expense. I huff that worry out of my mind. If a better option comes, I will follow it. For now, I must get moving. My honor is riding on this mission, and dinner time will not wait. There’s no way I’m failing.

I won’t.

Not ever again.

*Illustrations are formatted in traditional manga style: right to left, starting at the top*

continue with FISHING TRIP  - out Saturday, 9/12 @ 9:00AM PT!

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