Chapter 2: The Boundless Cat
[Aren't you feeling any ounce of guilt for reincarnating? Many could only hope for such a story and here you are, in one. Don't take light of this opportunity you stray black cat.]
"Hey! Wake up! We got some work to do out in the fields!" She shoved me off the bed and I plummeted to the hard wooden floor. I was in pain for a little afterward.
"Ow!" I was on the floor letting my eyes adjust to the sunlight peeking through the window when suddenly, she sprung out of bed and jostled me out the door because she wanted to get dressed.
My eyes finally adjusted to the sunlight, but my mind was still in a daze. "Work? Isn't it the weekend? There's no school…"
The door behind me then swung open so violently that it hit the wall corridor and the noise it made echoed, completely waking me up.
My startled self was then pulled along by the passing girl which told me, "Let's go we have fields to tend to!"
The stray cat followed.
The father was outside chopping up some wood, he greeted us, "good morning!" However, his face gestured something differently when he looked at me, I could almost hear his thoughts in my head, "touch my daughter and you're dead?" I feel like I'm a deer in a lion's den.
Meanwhile, as we're walking towards the carrot farm. "You owe me one for helping you, so you're going to help pick some vegetables and plant some seeds, so grab that basket and let's get to it." She rolled up her sleeves and started plucking away, the carrots were flying to the floor, I hurried my feet to get the basket.
"Hurry up we haven't got all day!" I raced back to her with the basket in hand, the carrots then started flying right in, she'd probably be good at basketball if this were the other world.
"Shouldn't I change? I slept in this the entire night." It feels weird to not change into fresh clothes each morning.
"We haven't got extra clothes, so you're just going to have to deal with that."
Man... I shouldn't have asked.
The day was cold, colder than yesterday for sure. There was a breeze coming through that gave me the chills, but it didn't deter me from the work. We spent the morning tending the fields, afterward we accompanied the father to the forest.
We weren't that far from the fields, but we already saw the footprints of a rabbit and then, right after, something in the neighboring bushes started to move, the father quickly turned to that side.
"Here boy, a bow and a quiver, but watch her and me do it first. I'd be nice if you were useful once and awhile." My arms were already sore from the fields, they could just drop to the floor any second now, but that didn't happen, instead, I nodded my head as we crept towards a rabbit that was behind some shrubbery.
Not one time did they ever communicate when sneaking towards the mammal, they were in unison, it was easy to tell that this was just a daily routine for them. They avoided the leaves and the twigs to avoid being detected
The father was at the left, behind a tree, his eyes focused and were ready to fire. The daughter was on the right, behind a bush, they were both only a few meters away from their target.
They pulled the string, then the arrow starting flying. The sound it made right when it left the bow was something I couldn't ever forget.
But at the end of the day, it was a just rabbit. It wasn't as exciting as hunting a deer or fighting some wolves who were after the same prey. It wasn't a video game, but nonetheless, it's cool.
"See that! That's how you catch one, now give it a try." The father exclaimed lifting his bow into the air.
"Me? I don't even know how to shoot it."
"Well, you ought to do something while you're living with us." Looking at the bow, I could already see the warning signs appearing in my head telling me that I really shouldn't.
Anemone spoke up, "I'll teach him how to hunt." This was going to be great, now it'd be even more embarrassing if I fail.
The old man watched from behind as Anemone lent me her bow. She told me how to hold it, where to place my fingers, positioning, her hands were also quite soft when she was adjusting mine, the father looked displeased and I would be lying if I said my cheeks didn't look like red peaches.
"Hold on, let me give you a target to practice on." She walked towards a tree that was a few meters away, the same distance the rabbit was from them.
She pulled out a knife from the sheath on her waist and carved an X on the tree, she pointed at it and told me to take aim. So I grabbed an arrow from the quiver and pulled back the string. I aimed carefully and precisely, my eyes were fixated on one thing and one thing only.
The only thing that could happen now... was the shortcomings of the shot, it instead propelled itself into a bush causing a rabbit inside that we didn't even notice to almost have a heart attack. It ran off, I think it was crying.
The girl was laughing? She laughs to every misfortunate mistake I make, I don't think my self-esteem even exists anymore. I didn't shoe it, but I was crying on the inside, however, that doesn't mean I should give up!
I remember this one youtube video about this Japanese guy yelling out some inspirational stuff that made me think, "fuck yeah! I got this!" Or something along those lines so I gave it,
"One… one more try!" Then the third, the seventh, then down to my last arrow, the tenth arrow.
"Tenth times the charm." Pull back, aim, carefully and precisely… Think about the inspirational thoughts from that video and press on, eventually, hopefully, dear god, please.
I still missed, "I swear it's the bow, there's just something wrong with it." I looked at the bow hoping for any damages that could've caused my mistakes, but nothing.
But what I did realize at that moment was not the fact that I couldn't shoot a bow or the fact that I was basically useless in this, but rather what I felt was a bit of joy. For once I wasn't either cooped up with a job, school, or anything, I was having fun with my life.
Sooner or later I didn't realize how much I kept smiling for years to come. The adventures that I would have, but that's a story for the future.
I was walking side by side with Anemone when she suddenly asked,
"Have you calmed down now?"
"Calmed down from what?" I looked at her.
"Your dream, you were shaking in bed."
"Was I? Sorry."
"No it's fine, but if you want help for it or anything tell me! You'll owe me even more and you'll get help, I call it a win-win scenario."
"Haha...hahaha!"
After hunting, or should I say berry picking, because I couldn't do anything else during that hunt, we went home. After a day I already found myself accustomed to this family, I was fitting in, and the days would soon go by, seasons would fall, time went by so quickly
That I was already turning twenty this year and
the girl would be turning nineteen today. She blew the sole candle on the carrot cake for her birthday, we cheered. Slowly though I realized, I can't be stuck here, a stray cat is a stray.
I learned to carve from the dad, he taught me wood-cutting during these years and I've honed that skill ever since.
My gift to her before I leave tomorrow morning would be a carving of a flower that we would often see when traversing through the forest green.
It was called the Anemone, a flower that looks violet, blue, and pink. Like all things alive though, it will eventually wilt and die, .that's why my flower is of wood.
It will stay far longer in bloom than any of those flowers, it's my best gift so far. It's not a jewel or a necklace, but your typical flower.
I know its kind of messed up to give a gift to someone, then to leave without saying a word, but if I don't do that I might end up living here forever. I can't find it in me to do that so here,
"I carved this flower for you. The Anemone Flower."
"Wow! It's beautiful! How long did it take you to make this?"
"You won't believe how long if I told you."
"Well, I guess you repaid your debt for living here huh, Hahaha!"
"I guess I have." I Solemnly said.
She stopped laughing, I didn't know if she could tell or not. Or the fact that she noticed the sun setting, but either way, she looked at me,
"Are you okay?"
"Yea, couldn't have been better."
We got up from the porch and entered back into the house and slept together once more.
I dreamed my final dream in that house,
[A stray cat always a stray cat… And this stray cat has no bounds.] I don't know who's telling me this in my dreams, be it a God or some mystical being, but whoever it is, I won't be bound to you either.
I woke up earlier than usual, the sun hasn't even risen yet, but in a couple of minutes, it soon will.
I quickly gathered my sack under the bed that had "Important Things" written on it and stepped out into the front porch.
However, something hugged me from behind,
"It's my bed you know… you're not the only one that hides stuff under there…" She was sniffling, a new look which I've never even seen before. I still haven't seen it, because I never turned around.
"Well, that was dumb of me… haha."
"And… seriously after my birthday?" She continued crying, every so often choking on a few words.
"Well, I did give you that---"
"I don't want a gift from someone that won't ever give me a gift again. I want a see another carving, can't you stay?"
"I'm just a stray, and besides who's to say you won't get a gift from me ever again?"
The father then stepped out onto the porch. "Hey, kid what're you doing to make her cry."
I turned around to see a girl with the entrancing azure hair, the marble blue eyes, the beautiful girl embracing me with her arms and making tissues of my shirt.
"Let me tell you something, don't ever make a girl cry, don't ever make my daughter cry. And second, a stray cat like you… should've left a long while ago."
For some reason he wasn't angry at all, he was blunt and solemn.
"Didn't you say that I wouldn't even be able to survive a day out there?"
"Yup, no stray wouldn't, at least one that wasn't my son of course."
My eyes widened, I was surprised, but most of all happy and sad at the same time.
"Son? I'm…" I would be lying if I said that a single tear didn't run down my cheek.
"A man ought to experience what it's like to face hardships, and a man doesn't turn into a man without an adventure and a few obstacles in the way first."
"You called me your son?!" I yelled out in disbelief, but this old man of mine stuck with what he said.
"Son-in-law so you better come back as a tiger and not as a kitten like the way you are now!" He told me off right when he pointed at me.
"Son-in-law?!" I yelled out in shock.
"After all these years, I've seen what ye like, you're, a good ol' lad. A fine one at that for my daughter over here." He proudly said.
Then I heard footsteps approaching from inside of the house coming outside. The mother came out with a pie in her hand that smelled a lot like an apple.
"I got… you're favorite… waaah!" She bawled up into tears.
"Looks like you also made your mother cry, what an awful son." My dad said as he was caressing my mother in her arms.
"Oh, don't say that he's a wonderful child." She was still sniffling.
I strugglingly walked over to her while dragging the crybaby around my waist.
"T-thank you." I exhaustingly said. The pie was warm, just looking at the pie I could tell it was baked with more love then I could have ever wished form
Anemone let go and then asked, "are you coming back?" I gave her a look that she won't ever forget.
"A lost cat always finds its way back home, did you know that?" I said smiling at her.
She also asked another question on top of that which I couldn't find an answer to right away.
"What's your goal?"
"My goal? I don't know yet, but maybe that's what I'm looking for." I smiled and ran off with a hot apple pie in my hands.
I could tell behind my back they were waving at me, but before I could leave the town I went to the market to get a few things.
The sun then started rising and the apple pie was finally cooling.
"Where am I going to eat this?" Was what I asked myself with tears falling down on the pie as I ran into the market streets.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Matchashi
Matchashi If there's any grammar or spelling mistakes do let me know! ^_^
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