It was another kitten, even smaller than the one they had seen in the big cat’s mouth. It was about the length of Jack's hand, with huge, black, long-tipped ears and bright gray eyes that shone silver when glowering directly at the light.

It hissed at them, making a sound very similar to what a housecat would, and scrunched itself deeper into the hollow.

“Seriously, man, we need to get out of here,” Jack said. The kitten was absolutely adorable and under different circumstances, Jack would have been delighted to see it, but they had just experienced the power of its mother. She was small compared to, say, a lion, but more than large enough to maim or kill two weedy teenagers. “That mother cat could be back any minute.”

Daiki hesitated, then pulled off his camera strap, putting the camera gently to one side, and wriggled out of his blood-stained jersey, exposing the gray tee-shirt underneath. It had the words “Con Artist” emblazoned on it in white letters, along with a painter’s palette.

“We can't leave her here,” Daiki said. “What if her mother doesn't come back?”

“Of course she'll come back. Cats are good about that kind of thing...” Jack trailed off. Daiki wasn't listening at all. He was wrapping the purple wool around his hands, preparing to grab the kitten.

“Daiki, we've got to think about the others, I mean... we shouldn't be wasting time on this....”

“Jack, you want to go? Fine. Piss off. I’m doing this.”

Daiki sneered, and fresh blood spotted his bandages as they pulled against the cuts. As Jack winced in reluctant sympathy, a fierce wind gusted through the treetops, rattling them together, more loudly than ever. The friends each surveyed the canopy uneasily before returning to the topic at hand.

“We can't leave it here, even if its mother does come back,” Daiki said. “It'll never survive in the wild.”

“Why not? Oh.”

Jack spotted the issue. The large kitten only had three good limbs. One back leg ended in a twisted stump instead of a paw. Daiki was right. Even if its mother did come back, it would struggle to survive. Inspecting it more closely, Jack realized it was already skinny. No doubt the healthier sibling was hogging all the food.

Jack shook his head.

“It doesn't matter. I don't want to be a dick but... it's not going to want to come with us. How are you going to keep it quiet and calm? How are you going to feed it?”

Daiki reached into the hollow, speaking in a low, soothing voice and holding his hands wide with the jersey stretched between them. The kitten crouched as far back into the hole as it could get, its ears flat on its head. Its eyes followed the approach of the purple garment like it would a snake. It growled weakly.

“It's OK, kitty. Koneko, koneko, you're going to be just fine.” Daiki’s hand darted in and caught the kitten by the scruff. It let out one last hiss and fell silent. “There's a good cat, there's a good...” He checked under the tail. “…girl.”

He drew her out of the hollow, dangling her from his hand as she would normally dangle from her mother’s mouth.

“Wow, she's not making much of a fuss, is she?”

Jack put down his flashlight and reached out to stroke the kitten between her ears with two fingers.

“No.” Daiki cupped his hand under her to take some weight off her scruff. “If you hold them by the back of the neck like this they just go limp.”

“Your mum has a bunch of cats, doesn’t she?”

“A few.”

Daiki arranged his legs so that he was more comfortable and settled the kitten on his lap, keeping a grip on her neck.

“You don’t happen to have a clothes peg or something like that do you?”

“Um, wait a minute.” Jack unzipped his bag and shifted items aside until he found his old pencil case. He’d brought it on a whim, not sure how easy it would be to get ballpoint pens in the other world. Certainly, The Alchemist didn’t seem to use them.

Jack pulled out a large paper binding clip and stuck his finger into it to test how strong it was. It didn’t pinch too hard, so he handed it to Daiki. “How about that? Are you sure it won’t hurt her?”

Daiki clipped the skin on the back of her neck and held up his hands. She lay quietly, with only her suspicious eyes and strained little face indicating that she was still conscious.

“Yeah, it won’t hurt her. I’ve seen them do this at the vet. Works almost as well as a shot to calm them down, apparently.”

It was difficult to estimate her age, since she was so much bigger than a house kitten would be. Jack didn't think she could be more than a few weeks old though. Probably too young to be away from her mother.

“What will you feed her?”

Daiki was gently examining her shrunken, twisted foot in the beam of the flashlight. It was hard to tell whether she had been injured, or simply born that way. It didn’t look infected or anything at least. Just damaged.

“Well, we'll just have to figure that out once we get to the castle, won't we?” Daiki poked lightly at the kitten's round belly. She glared at him.

“She's not starving, even though she's thin. She should be fine for a few hours at any rate.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Daiki nodded. His whole demeanor had changed. The ice had melted away.

“Here, you can hold her for a sec. Just don’t remove the clip.” He handed her gently over, waiting for Jack to take her weight before letting go.

Jack felt his objections melt away as she glared up at him with her luminous eyes. She was very pretty. Almost as lovely as her mother, who might be heading their way right this second.

Trying to distract himself from that thought, Jack lifted the kitten and examined her carefully, supporting her rear end in a cupped hand. She was a lovely caramel color with a body similar in shape to a lynx, although she didn't have the lynx's spots and stripes. Her tail was short, about half the length a normal house kitten’s would be. She was a perfectly normal looking mammal for all that. Not a dinosaur. Not a witch's familiar, or an Alchemist’s messenger. Unless...

“Greetings, little cat,” Jack said solemnly. “It's a pleasure to meet you.”

She blinked at him, but that was her only reaction.

Just an ordinary animal. It looked remarkably like the African caracals Jack had seen on Youtube.

Jack couldn’t understand it. The ecosystem of the strange world didn’t make sense.

What kind of ecology involves rabbits and wildcats, but no insects or birds or invertebrates? Are they imports from earth? And if so, what the hell is with these trees?

The leaves were only producing a quiet noise now but they made Jack very uneasy. He couldn’t shake the sensation that they were being watched.

And why not? This was a test, after all.

“We just have to think of a way for me to carry her.” Daiki interrupted Jack’s thoughts. “I don't have any pockets big enough and she can't go in my suitcase...”

Jack chewed on his lip as he thought, turning to survey what they had to hand. It was getting more difficult by the minute to see everything in the gloom under the trees… which was the least of their problems. That mother cat would be back any second.

“OK, give me your jersey.” Jack handed the kitten back to Daiki in exchange for the purple jumper.

Quickly retrieving the first aid kit from his pack, Jack knotted a bandage around the bottom of the jersey, creating a makeshift pouch, still open at the neck. He wrapped the sleeves around Daiki's shoulder and hip like the straps of a carrier bag and tied them behind his friend’s back.

“You didn't happen to bring anything she’d like to eat, did you? I dunno, tuna or something like that.”

Daiki had the kitten purring in fits and starts as he stroked the top of her head but she was still very tense and suspicious.

Jack hesitated. “I have some fish sauce but… after that, can we go, please? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’ve lost Mico, and the mother could be back any second.”

“Good riddance,” Daiki said, then his face softened. “Sure, Squirt. Just get out the sauce and we’ll go.”

Jack dug into his pack and pulled out the plastic bag containing all his food supplies. He had lifted a few different bottles of sauce from the pantry before leaving home, promising himself he would pay his mother back tenfold.

“Will this do?”

Jack unscrewed the top from the fish sauce bottle and handed it to Daiki. The kitten was purring steadily now, although she still made a plaintive, bleating cry every few minutes.

Daiki smeared some of the smelly sauce over his finger and stuck it in her face, then removed the clip. She shuddered and tensed up before the scent hit her. The little kitten sniffed at the sauce for a second, then began to lick, purring loudly in approval. Jack was impressed by Daiki’s daring. He would have been worried about losing a finger.

“You could put some on her paws and whiskers. Isn't that what you're supposed to do with cats in a new home? Keeps them too busy licking to run away.”

Daiki considered Jack as though he was an idiot.

“She'd get it all over my jersey. It's vintage.”

He waited until she had finished licking and then put the clip back on. The tiny thing went limp.

Daiki slipped her into the makeshift pouch through the neck hole, making sure she was all the way in and secure before releasing his hand. Then he waited for a few minutes. A small warning growl came from the vicinity of his chest, and then she was quiet.

“There. She thinks she's still in the hollow where her mother left her. She'll stay put.”

“We really need to go.”

Daiki put on his small, condescending smile. “Scared of a little cat, huh?”

“Um… yeah. Why the bloody hell aren’t you scared?”

Daiki rolled his eyes. “Oh come on, she’s barely the size of a dog. She’s not really dangerous.”

“She got you pretty good back there.”

“What, this little cut? It’s nothing. Besides, she took me by surprise.”

“Whatever, let’s just go.”

Jack inspected their surroundings carefully, but the forest was quiet and still. Not that that meant anything. That cat could out-sneak a sniper. No sign of Mico, either. All he could hear was the faintest rustle of leaves.

Jack was really starting to dislike this forest. He packed up the first aid kit properly this time, but as fast as possible, then clipped the flashlight to the side of his pack. Pretty soon, they were going to need it just to see while under the trees.

Meanwhile, Daiki had packed up his camera, dried blood and all, and hooked the bag onto his suitcase. He pulled out his spray can and made a big orange X over the cat’s den. He rested a protective hand on the purple wool covering the kitten for a moment, before moving carefully to grab the suitcase handle.

“Are you ready?”

“I’ve been ready for the last half hour,” Jack said between gritted teeth.

“OK. Let's…”

A rough noise burst through the air, loud and threatening from the trees to their right.

It sounded like a big man coughing, but coming from low to the ground. Jack and Daiki traded anxious glances and, without another word, took off in the opposite direction to the noise.

“Was that her?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never… heard a cat… make that kind of sound.”

Daiki was puffing already. Jack reined himself in so he wouldn’t get too far ahead of his friend. Daiki was still holding the paint spray can in one hand and his suitcase handle in the other.

As they got further from the hollow, Jack started to hope that whatever it was would leave them alone. Daiki had begun to stumble and was gasping as he trotted along. Jack didn’t feel so much like the energizer bunny himself.

“Do you think we lost it?” Daiki tried to turn and look behind them without stopping. He managed a couple of steps, then tripped over a tree root. Catching himself on one knee, he jostled the makeshift pouch.

By then the kitten had had enough. Clip or no clip, she wailed loudly in a rasping voice, announcing her presence to the forest.

Jack held his breath, hoping against hope... but his heart sank when an answering wail and a series of hissing coughs sounded from behind them.

“Shit, oh shit,” Jack said. “Don’t run, she’ll chase us now. Hamstring us.”

He had seen plenty of videos online with big cats running down prey. He shrugged out of his backpack and held it up in front of himself like a shield. His mind was racing.

“Oh come on, don’t be a wuss. Just find a stick or something to fend her off.”

Daiki cast around himself as they listened to the sounds of the mother cat crunching towards them through the dead leaves.

“OK, so there are no sticks.”

“Daiki, you have to give her the kitten. Just… just throw it at her or something.”

“No.” Daiki clenched his fists. “She’ll die if I leave her here. She needs me.”

The crunching slowed as the cat slunk into sight. She was low to the ground, her eyes fixed on them as she moved. She was stalking them.

Jack hoisted his pack a little higher while Daiki moved behind his suitcase. The little kitten was still letting off the occasional quiet wail and the mother’s tail lashed as she crept closer. She stopped just a few meters away from them.

Hissing, her grey eyes on fire with malice, she bared teeth which were much too long and sharp for Jack’s comfort.

“See? She’s just as scared of us as we are of…” Daiki turned as he spoke to Jack, which was the only thing that saved him.

The mother cat launched herself at him, quicker than thought.

She threw herself higher and faster than Jack would have believed, her teeth aimed for Daiki’s throat. Every inch of her was prepared to rip his life away, to defend her kitten.

She failed as he turned, and bit into his shoulder instead.

Daiki screamed and jerked instinctively, falling to his knees as she clung on, her fangs firmly planted in the muscle of his shoulder.

Daiki spun his torso around, trying to fling her off. His thrashing kept her from planting her paws, which prevented her from scratching away his belly, but she refused to let go of his shoulder. The spray can went flying and landed next to Jack.

Without conscious thought, Jack dropped his bag and snatched up the can. He flung himself towards the cat, holding it out like a shield.

Her screams filled the trees as he sprayed her straight in the eyes. She had finally released Daiki.

The caracal mother threw herself back, pushing her hind claws into the ground for traction rather than into Daiki, for which Jack was grateful.

Jack put himself between Daiki and the caramel-colored cat, keeping the spray can aimed at her as she yowled and pawed at her face. Daiki made a little sobbing noise, still on his knees.

“Fuck, fuckity fuck fuck, it hurts.”

“Daiki give me your lighter.” The cat was blinking blearily, but she’d given up trying to get the paint from her eyes and was hissing at them instead, baring her long, blood-stained teeth.

“I can’t move my arm…”

“Then use your other arm!” Jack didn’t turn. He kept his eyes on the lightning-fast cat and put his free hand out behind his back.

After a lot of swearing and achingly slow shuffling, Daiki finally placed the lighter into Jack’s hand. It was one of those cheap plastic ones from a service station, but reassuringly solid in his grip.

Jack slowly lifted it towards the spray can, as the cat watched him. She was starting to lift her hind quarters, getting ready to jump again.

Jack didn’t give himself time to think. He bellowed a war cry and rushed the cat, spraying the orange paint directly at her and holding the lighter to it.

To his relief, the paint ignited right away.

A fireball burst at his terrified enemy.

She yowled and tried to dodge him, but Jack spun and kept the spray and flames aimed directly at her face, until the paint on her whiskers began to crip and singe away.

Jack could see the desperation in her now-hazy eyes.

Spitting and screaming with panic, she finally broke and raced away, trailing a faint line of smoke.

Jack waited a moment in case she returned, but there was no sign of her. His hands shook with adrenaline. “Are you OK?” He let the spray can fall to his side and turned to his friend. Daiki was still on his knees, clutching at his shoulder. His face was white.

“She almost… she almost killed me.”

Jack resisted the urge to say “I told you so” and shuffled slowly to his bag. He stuck the lighter into his pocket and kept hold of the near-empty can of spray paint while he pulled out the first aid kit. Again.

He kept his ears perked as he snipped open Daiki’s t-shirt to inspect the wound, but all he could hear was the ubiquitous rustle of the trees. He was pretty sure the mama cat would not be back any time soon.

Luckily, it didn’t look like she had hit any arteries and the puncture wounds weren’t bleeding much. She’d bitten so deep into Daiki’s shoulder, her body weight hadn’t been enough to tear open the wound. Torn or not, however, Jack knew there was a huge risk of infection. He hoped Daiki was up to date on his shots.

“Can you move your arm?”

Daiki bit his lip and lifted it gingerly. “Fucking fuckers on a fuckstick, yes, I can move it. I really don’t want to though.”

“You shouldn’t swear so much in front of your baby.” Jack indicated the pouch, from which still came the occasional annoyed mewl. The kitten sounded like an electronic bee when she cried. It was the strangest thing.

Jack pulled out a tube of disinfectant cream.

“This is going to hurt.”

Daiki gritted his teeth but sat silently hunching as Jack rubbed the cream into his shoulder.

“I guess it’s just as well you don’t have a backpack, huh.”

“Just as well I’ve got my own private nurse.”

Jack wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be an insult or a compliment. He finished binding up the wound and made his friend drink some cordial with the last of the water. Daiki’s color had come back, and the wounds weren’t that bad, but Jack really, really hoped this world had antibiotics. They had cyborg technology, right? So they had to have antibiotics. His 4X games wouldn’t lie to him like that.

“OK, can you walk?”

Daiki pushed himself to his feet and wavered a little, but nodded.

“We should try to get to that river. We need more water, pronto.”

“OK.” Daiki gripped his suitcase with his good hand and started to walk.

“Hang on,” said Jack. “How do you know that’s the right way to go?”

Daiki pointed, his arm visibly trembling. Jack followed his finger and felt a small shock go through him as he caught sight of two orange marks, only a few meters away. The furthest one was barely visible in the dusk.

“But... but we moved from where we were… We shouldn’t be anywhere near those marks.”

“We must have gone in a circle.” Daiki shrugged his uninjured shoulder, careful not to disturb his passenger too much. “Come on, Jack. If we’re going, let’s go already.”

“You were the one who...!”

Daiki wasn’t listening. He was walking into the gloom between the trees and there was nothing Jack could do but follow.