Whiskers and Destiny

Harmony sat at her desk in class, her back slightly hunched, as if she wanted to hide from the everyday noise of the classroom. Her fingers slowly turned the pages of her notebook, filled with carefully written notes and delicate sketches. Her notes were more than just words – they were a map of her heart, a path to the world she dreamed of. A world where she could help animals.

Her hair, soft and reddish, fell over her shoulders like a curtain shielding her from curious glances. Outside, the faint noise of the schoolyard drifted in – shouting, laughter, the clatter of running shoes. But Harmony felt as if she were in a bubble. Just her and the pages of her notebook.

"One more week," she thought. Her heart leapt at the thought, beating faster, as if it wanted to outrun time itself. One more week, and then the internship would begin. For real, with real animals – not just drawings.

“One more week, and the internship begins,” she whispered aloud, as though speaking the words would make them real. Her hands trembled slightly as they brushed over the pages. “Maybe I’ll meet a serious dog who’ll teach me patience… or a cat who’ll, with one scratch, put me in my place.”

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, but deep in her chest stirred another feeling – a quiet fear that maybe she wouldn’t be good enough.

Beside her, Kenji sat down. His presence was steady, like a stone in a river. He nodded with a small smile. “Harmony, you’re really excited. Just be careful no one bites you.”

Harmony laughed, though the sound was fragile, as if hiding a secret. She lifted her fingers to shield her face. “You know I get along with animals better than with people.”

Her words were playful, yet true. "Animals don’t judge you. They don’t ask why you’re quiet, why you disappear into your thoughts. They just look at you… and they know."

After class, she walked down the hallway with her bag slung over one shoulder. She still held her notebook in her hand, as if she feared it might vanish. Her steps were light, but inside her something else grew – anticipation, almost painful in its intensity.

"Just a few more days," she repeated. "Just a few more days."

In her mind flashed her sketches: a puppy with shining eyes waiting to play; a cat swishing its tail, pretending to be aloof while secretly seeking warmth; a tiny dog creeping up behind its owner. Each drawing was a small story, each carried a soul.

When she stepped outside, the scent of summer evening wrapped around her – the warmth of asphalt, the perfume of blooming flowers from the park, the aroma of fresh bread from the bakery. The sky was painted orange and rose, as though the day itself was melting into night.

Harmony inhaled deeply. "Tomorrow will be special. I can feel it."

And then she heard it.

A quiet, desperate meow. The sound was so sudden that Harmony froze, as if someone had pressed a hidden button that pulled her out of her dream.

Her body tensed at once. She looked left, right – and saw a small white cat on the edge of the road. Its body was fragile, trembling, eyes wide with fear.

And then – a car. The growl of an engine ripped through the air.

Harmony didn’t think. She only screamed: “No, no, no!” Her legs shot forward on their own. Her heart pounded so violently she thought it would burst. In her ears was only the roar of blood and the rushing wind as the car sped past.

For a few seconds everything blurred. Just her, the noise, and the certainty she would be too late.

But then – silence. The car was gone. The cat was alive, pressed against the curb. Harmony stopped, her knees shaking, her hands trembling.

“You’re okay… you’re okay…” she whispered, as if to calm herself more than the animal.

The cat darted into a bush. Harmony followed, step by step, taut as a bowstring. “Hey, wait. I just want to see if you’re hurt.”

She knelt down, reaching out her hand as if offering it to the world itself. And then the cat lifted its gaze.

Its eyes.

Too large, too deep. Not feline. Almost human. Harmony froze. "What… what are you?"

Then it glowed. The small stone on its collar. At first a faint shimmer, then a sudden eruption of light.

Harmony cried out. The brilliance blinded her, piercing through closed lids, searing into her vision.

Her lungs tightened. The air grew heavy, vibrating with an unnatural hum. “S-stop… what’s happening?!” Her voice cracked with desperation. The ground beneath her feet seemed to dissolve, tilting, collapsing.

She stumbled, clawing at empty air, panic flooding every nerve. Her heart thrashed wildly, as if it would tear itself apart.

The glow surged, wrapping her like fiery chains. Her hair whipped across her face, her body yanked by unseen forces. She tried to scream, but the sound was ripped from her throat, drowned by the roar of the storm that wasn’t wind, wasn’t anything human.

"No, no, I want to go back!" Her thoughts screamed louder than her voice. But the pull was merciless. She couldn’t fight it. She couldn’t even breathe.

Then, a voice – not heard, but felt, echoing in her bones:

"You are the one the stars spoke of. You will change our future."

Her terror spiked into raw disbelief. “No! I’m not – I’m nobody!” she tried to shout, but her words were shredded by the light.

Her body twisted in the whirl, weightless and powerless. Her mind splintered under the force, every instinct begging her to run, to wake, to escape – but there was nowhere left to go.

The last thing she felt was her heartbeat hammering like a trapped bird in her chest. Then – darkness.

When she opened her eyes again, she was lying on grass. The air was different – heavier, yet fragrant with flowers. Her body was weak, fragile as if broken.

And above her – no longer a cat.

A young man stood there, elegant, almost unreal. With silver-white hair and cat-like ears. His eyes were blue like the sky after a storm.  He lifted her easily, as though she weighed nothing. His gaze was both tender and solemn, filled with quiet power.

Harmony wanted to scream, to break free, but her voice was gone. Panic churned in her chest, but in his eyes… something stopped her. Something that whispered: "Don’t be afraid."

She stared at him, caught between fear and wonder, until the world slipped away and she collapsed into unconsciousness.

He carried her through an unknown city – towers that glowed, streets alive with light. Everything was strange, yet impossibly beautiful. Like a dream, but too vivid to be a dream.

When he laid her upon a bed draped in floral blankets, he sat beside her. He watched her as if every breath she took held a secret.

She is the key, his eyes seemed to say. She doesn’t know yet… but she will decide the fate of our world.

In half-sleep, Harmony mumbled something indistinct, her face calm, as if two realities were already weaving inside her.

And when she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a room where tall windows spilled golden light. The walls were decorated with cat motifs – a kingdom devoted to them.

“Uh… where… where am I?” she whispered, her heart trembling like a leaf in the wind.

The door opened. The prince entered. His steps were silent, but carried the weight of royalty. His eyes gleamed as he spoke:

“Don’t be afraid. You are safe here.”

Harmony felt her body stiffen. Fear and curiosity wrestled within her, yet at his voice she breathed a little deeper for the first time.

Harmony stared at him, her eyes wide with both fear and curiosity. “Who… who are you? And… where am I? And why do you have cat ears and a cat tail?”

A faint, mysterious smile tugged at the prince’s lips. “I am Lysar. This is the Cat Kingdom, i am cat human… and you are now a part of it. You may not understand yet, but the stars have guided you here to our world.”

Harmony’s breath caught. “The stars? Me? I’m just… an ordinary girl! I don’t understand… And, you are a cat?”

Lysar sat at the edge of the bed, his gaze steady on her face. He took a slow, deep breath, his thoughts clear yet tinged with mystery:

»She is the key… she does not know it yet, but her presence will shape the future of this world. Perhaps not peace today, but her actions will echo far into tomorrow. I must protect her.«

Then he anwsered her:

"I am cat human, not a cat..."

Though confusion still clouded her mind, something in his eyes gave Harmony a sense of safety. Something deeper than anything she had ever known.

“I… I need to know why I’m here,” she murmured. Lysar simply nodded, his voice soft and calm:

“Time will reveal everything, Harmony. For now… just rest.”