The Cat Whisperer

by Kaylie Foley

There was a young boy who lived in a small village behind the mountain. In the small village, he lived with his mother and his father. He was not very social nor very athletic. The boy's father worked as a blacksmith and his mother did pottery. Everyone in the village would call him "The Cat Whisperer" because of his love for cats, even though his real name was Hinode. Hinode would go through a forest and up the mountain to the same spot every day, carrying fish and rice balls. The food he made was just like a chef. It was simple but delicious.

The village knew he went there every day but weren't sure why. Some said he was meeting up with a girl from another village nearby. This wasn't true. He was in fact meeting a girl there but not what they thought. Hinode would go there to see a cat. A big cat. A cat with black stripes and blue eyes named Talily. She was a gorgeous tiger with a sparkly blue amulet Hinode gave her. Talily wasn't the only cat there. There were varieties of them, each different, but they wouldn't stay long. Talily was the one who stayed. She was also his favorite. When Hinode went home, he would greet his mother hello and help his father put stuff away.

Hinode's mother became ill and soon passed. Hinode and his father moved from the village to where his grandmother lived. Hinode was all the way on the other side of the mountain, from where Talily lived and all the other cats. He planned for so long on how he was going to go back to the place he loved. Hinode understood why his father moved, but he still wanted to go back. Back to where the most beautiful cats lived and back to his Talily.

"Son! I decided we will be moving back," Hinodes father said.

Hinode jumped out of his seat. He felt so happy he could see Talily again. But he was so shocked he never thought his father would go back to the home his wife lived and died in. He immediately started packing.

"But…" his father continued. "You will not and shall not go up the mountain anymore.  You don't need to get hurt."

"B-But Father!"

"I don't know what's so important about that mountain and what's there, but after your mother's death, I draw the line."

Hinode knew this was for the best, but he still argued. He didn't know what he was going to do. It's been two months since he had seen all the cats, especially Talily.

While Hinode packed while he thought of all the adorable and beautiful cats he would never be able to see again. Hinode grabbed his blanket, his pillow, and a photo that sat on his nightstand. The picture had him, his mother, his father, and a small white kitten in it. The little cat's name was Tarō. Tarō was a tiny white kitten with bright blue eyes, much like Talily, though Tarō had run away only a few months after they had gotten her. Hinode searched for her for weeks. But he never found her. Instead, he found Talily with many more cats.

After a month of begging, Hinode finally convinced his father to let him go up the mountain at least once more. He made his favorite meat buns and smoked salmon. He put together his picnic basket with cat treats and snacks too. Hinode waved goodbye to his father as he walked out the front door. Going up the long narrow dark path, Hinode heard weird noises coming from his left. He decided to investigate it. He hit branches out of his way and swatted thorns from hitting his legs. As Hinode walked further off the trail he saw a blurry figure lying on the ground. When he approached the figure, he was speechless. He was in shock and denial. But there she laid her bright blue amulet shining and shimmering in the sun. Three deep scratch wounds by her heart. Hinode bent down next to her, praying he could find even the slightest heartbeat. Nothing. Not a single movement. All Hinode could think about was when his mother died. 

Hinode felt someone approaching behind him. He turned around and before he knew it, a white light was shining as bright as ever. He slowly opened his eyes to see he was no longer in the mountain forest. He woke up wearing a long silky toga with two gold cat clips and a shiny gold sash. Hinode looked around and saw all these people dressed in fancy clothes surrounding him. He realized where he was. He was sitting up in the mountain of gods. He wondered why he was there.

"Why am I here?" Hinode asked.

"Simple," one god went on. "We saw something in you we haven't seen in years. And that thing was love. The love you gave to all the cats in this mountain was extraordinary."

"We all agreed that we should announce you as the cat god," one goddess said. "How about it? Just think about it, Hinode The God of Cat's."

"Well, I really only want to see Talily again."

"Whoever said she was gone." The goddess smiled.

As she said that a tiger with big blue eyes approached. It was Talily, but she had a few changes, she had these big beautiful feathery white wings, and from the seams of it she could now talk. Hinode stood shocked she was here. He didn't care, though. He was just so happy to see her. He accepts her offer and becomes the god of cats.

Hinode knew he wouldn't be able to protect all cats at once, so he gave all cats eight extra lives. Every cat from then on would have nine total lives. He loved the cats on the mountain, and he missed them all. But he would always have them in his heart.