Bestial Planet

Chapter 15: Journey to the North

While we made our way towards whatever it was we were looking for, Catty and I caught up as much as we could. After finding out I had amnesia she decided not to inundate me with facts. I tried to explain to her what the hell happened and why we were both cats. It took a while to convince her she wasn't dreaming. We spent the entire next day without talking. She made sure to stay at least 15 feet away from me - I didn't blame her.

She told me she started thinking clearly about a day or two before we found each other, which I found strange. She seemed to be more relaxed than what she told me about her personality. That's not saying much though, since my memory is effectively swiss cheese.

I'm not sure what memories I was making up as she spoke but to be honest I was fabricating more than I was recalling; I told myself it was fine. She said I still talked the same, that made me feel a little less guilty.

After we caught breakfast that morning we started to compare hunting and killing techniques, which under any other circumstances would have sounded to a passer-by as if we were serial killers.

"Nah you gotta break the neck."

"But if you tear its throat out it can't draw attention."

"If you do it properly you don't gotta worry about that."

"I guess you got a point. But either way we still have food."

"That's for damn sure."

As we ate it still bothered me a little. The only difference between eating now and eating as a classic human was that I cooked my food and never had to kill it myself. But here we were, getting our faces and paws messy and covered in blood.

"I wonder what a vegan is gonna do if they wake up and find out they're a lion."

"They're gonna be shit outta luck I can tell you that."

"I tried that you know."

Catty looked up quizzically from her meal. "Eating plants only? How'd that work out."

"Well I've got my face inside a dead animal right now."

"Mhm"

"I felt hungry. Even after I ate more than my fill of mushrooms, berries and veggies."

"How'd you know which ones to eat? You ain't never gone camping."

"I haven't?"

"Not once. You wanted to though. Emmeth and I said you was crazy."

"Well, I guess I finally got to go camping."

Catty started shaking and snorting again. I never thought of it but we never really think anything when we laugh. It's mainly just physical reactions.

"Hide!"

Catty pawed at the blood on her face, then covered what was left in dirt.

"Hide? What do you mean hide?"

She turned invisible and I felt a presence. It was dominating and heavy, as if I were standing underneath a waterfall. I clambered up a tree and laid down on the widest branch I could find while peering out at the forest beneath me. I couldn't see Catty but I knew where she was. My eyes were darting back and forth looking for the danger I felt. The hairs on my back started to rise and I felt an overcoming urge to kill something. My claws dug into the tree branch as I saw what we were hiding from; there were five of them.

"Ferals" I thought the word, hoping I was still in what we called "Psychic Range".

"That's what you call the people who aren't awake?"