The Crescent Moon in the Starry Forest is just a Giant Kitten~ - Chapter 11

~~Cat Trivia~~

*Petting-Induced Aggression*

Refers to the behavior where a cat getting petted suddenly gets angry.

—

The days of battling unicorns are over, and the uneventful days have returned.

With too much time on my hands, I decided to go to Harold’s place to get some milk.

“Meow.”

“You’re back again.”

Harold, who was working in the fields, now only laughs at my habit of coming only for the milk. He used to say things like, “Milk is the reward for responding to the summons,” but he seems to have given up and now just goes to get the milk.

“Didn’t think you’d like goat’s milk this much.”

“Meow.”

Once I had my fill of milk and was about to leave, Harold called me back, saying, “Wait, wait.”

“Why not stay a bit longer? Give me something in return, too.”

With that, Harold began to stroke my fluffy fur as if savoring it. Does this count as the price for milk?

“Meow?”

“Why is it that stroking a cute animal is so comforting?”

I don’t know why the person doing the stroking feels comforted, but Harold seemed happy enough to pet me, so I let him do it for a while. I don’t really like being touched by others for long, but since I got milk from Harold…

“How do you keep your fur so clean despite wandering around the forest?”

“…”

I do like the feeling of being petted, but just for a bit. It hasn’t even been a minute, but I already feel it’s enough. If the petting continues, I will start to get irritated.

So, I growled and pulled away from Harold.

“Meow!”

“What’s wrong all of a sudden? You looked so content at first. Cats are harder to deal with than women.”

I don’t really understand my own feelings. But I just don’t want to be petted right now, so don’t come near me.

Turning my face away, I headed back into the dense forest.

“Meow.”

“Come back anytime, fickle kitten.”

I parted ways with Harold and wandered through the forest. Feeling like running a bit today, I alternated between running and walking, resting in between.

At one point, I found a patch of delicate pink flowers in full bloom. When I ran around there, butterflies sucking nectar and fairy girls resting screamed, “Eek!” and flew away all at once. Fun.

Continuing my stroll, I eventually reached halfway between the center-eastern edge side of the forest in the afternoon. 

Just when I started looking for a sunny spot to take a nap-

“Aah!”

A woman’s scream suddenly echoed from behind me, making me jump.

I turned around with my fur standing on end, only to see no one there. The scream came from a little further away, so I started walking around to find the source.

(Where is it? Who is it?)

Relying on my sense of smell, I found a human woman sitting in the shadow of a tree. She was staring at me with wide eyes, frozen with fear. She wasn’t sitting; she was too scared to move after seeing me.

Encountering a giant creature like me wandering the forest must be terrifying for a fragile human.

This woman doesn’t look like a soldier or a magician. She has long, beautiful black hair tied back, wearing fluttering clothes different from Harold’s pants. Her clothes aren’t flashy or luxurious and are dirty from walking in the forest.

A young woman with a delicate but beautiful face, unlike Harold’s rough features.

How did this seemingly ordinary human get here? Even if it’s not the forest center, getting this far from the edge would be hard for a human.

“Aaah…”

The woman was terrified. Seeing her so frightened made me realize how strong I was, filling me with pride.

(Scary, right? One kitten punch from me would knock you out.)

I sat in front of the woman and lifted one of my front paws, showing her my large palm.

(How about this? Scary paw, isn’t it?)

After trying to scare the woman for a while, she slowly began to calm down despite initially being petrified. I tried to intimidate her, but why…?

“It has… proper paw pads…”

She muttered in a trembling voice. She still seemed scared, but seeing me lift my paw without doing anything, she started talking to herself.

“Looking closely, it has a cute face. It’s okay. Calm down. Big body, but like a kitten… If I don’t provoke it- Oh, I know.”

The woman looked at me and slowly blinked.

“…!”

At that moment, I was shocked and gasped.

(This person… is no ordinary person! She knows the cat’s greeting!)

I stared at her in disbelief.

A slow blink is a cat’s greeting, a sign of friendship and affection.

How does this human know!? This was the first time someone blinked at me like this, making me feel both relieved and excited.

“Again…”

She whispered and blinked again.

Ah! Twice!?

I got flustered and stood up. I had an urge to rub my cheek against this woman’s face.

(But we just met!)

I considered blinking back but felt too shy to do it with a stranger.

It felt like a love confession. Actually, it was close to one.

(This person likes me…)

At least she has no hostility toward me. Making eye contact with slow blinking means that.

I couldn’t hide my agitation from receiving this affection for the first time.

After pacing for a while around, I stopped and looked at the woman softly. She blinked slowly again.

(Three times!?)

How many times are you going to do this? Do you like me that much?

I’m embarrassed. I don’t know what to do.

Feeling overwhelmed, I rolled onto the ground. Then, lying on my back, I wiggled my body.

“… My cat used to do that, too.”

The woman said nostalgically, smiling a little.

“When my cat wanted attention, she did that, but what are you feeling now?”

I stopped moving and looked at the woman. Is she used to cats?

I haven’t met many humans, but I realized that meeting someone familiar with cats makes me feel at ease.

She seems to have lost her fear of me. She probably realized that I was just a big cat with a normal personality.

“Will you not get angry if I pet you?”

She approached me, extending her hand and gently stroking under my chin.

Her voice was quiet and gentle, and her movements weren’t sudden, making it easy to predict her actions. That made me feel safe. Some people do this unconsciously, but she probably did it intentionally to avoid startling me.

She even chose to pet under my chin first. If someone I don’t know suddenly pets my back, a place outside my sight, it surprises me. If they wave a hand in front of my face, I get defensive, and if they touch my sensitive butt or tail, I get annoyed.

So, she started with my chin.

When I pushed my chin out and closed my eyes, enjoying it, she smiled softly.

Then, she stroked from my chin to my cheeks and head in order. Behind the ears, a place I can’t groom myself, felt incredible.

“So fluffy. You’re big but so cute.”

The woman chuckled. I let her pet me for a while, but when I felt satisfied, I started to get annoyed by the touch.

Lying on my back, I furrowed my brows, wagging my tail and flattening my ears.

Seeing this, the woman immediately withdrew her hand.

“Are you getting tired of it?”

What!? She understands my fickle nature as a cat, too? Who is this person? She knows more about cats than the wise Harold.

As I got up and started grooming, the woman suddenly remembered something and spoke.

“I got distracted, but I can’t stay here…! It’s warm here, but I need to return and bring the two with me!”

She hurriedly tried to leave but stopped and looked back at me.

“Kitty… Would you come with me? Having you around would be reassuring against dangerous creatures, and if you could carry the two on your back, that would be amazing…”

“?”

Two people? I wondered but decided to follow her out of boredom. There’s no way I’m letting anyone ride on my back, though.

—

*Slow Blinking*

With stray cats, it’s impossible, but with semi-feral cats or neighborhood cats, you can quickly gain their trust with slow blinking, allowing you to pet them. Try it if you get the chance.

Of course, try it with your own cat, too. If they blink back, it will make you happy. Comment your results~