With how often we avoid going out and especially with how uncomfortable it can be around these villagers, it’s honestly kind of hard for us to find things to do around town. Today that’s true even more so than usual, it’d seem. More people are keeping their distance, shooting us odd looks, the whole package. I’d be upset if Cat’s brighter disposition weren’t, well, so bright. Almost blindingly so! She’s so brave, honestly, being able to walk into a town that loathes us with her head held high and a shining smile on her face. Of the two of us I feel I’m getting more unwanted attention and I attribute that to the “scarf.” I like it, personally, but I know seeing it on anyone else would be an odd sight, especially with how it shivers in the autumn breeze from time to time.

“How’re you holding up?” I ask, looking over and up at Cat. We’ve really only been walking around town, and to be fair, it’s been a nice change of pace, considering how rarely we risk doing this. We actually get to take in the countryside sights for once. Still, this is her first time out as Ms. Kitten, even if the villagers can’t tell at first glance.

“I feel like it’d be more appropriate for me to be asking you that. I feel great!” Cat answers jubilantly. It bothers me just how right she is, but her unwavering disposition grants me strength. Strength I’ll need, clearly, as a voice from the side pipes up.

“H-hey, excuse me…”

At first I don’t even register that someone is speaking to us, so used to…basically never being addressed by anyone in town, either being ignored, or flat out avoided. But I humour them, Cat and I turning to see…

“James?”

The tip of my tail flicks (hopefully it looks like the wind) as the man sitting on the bench gets onto his feet slowly. Almost instinctively, Cat and I take a step closer to one another.

“Oh, you remember me… Sorry, I thought I’d recognized you, but I don’t think I ever got your names…?” They seem nervous around us, just as any other villager would be. Yet here they are, approaching us.

“What’s it to--”

“Cat. Cat Kitten, and this is my dear friend, Fox!” Cat nearly steps over me as she speaks up, walking around me to get closer to James but still staying close. I look up at her, eyebrow raised, and all she does is smile back before returning her gaze to the villager. “We’ve been here for a few months but we’re still pretty new to be honest!”

Her voice is so much more enthusiastic now, yet retains the same gentle softness as it always did, just more…refined? She really looks like she’s in her element now.

“Right, right, I’d heard about you two moving in. Well, yes, you know me as James. It’s good to meet you, outside of my food stand anyways.”

Why is he being so much friendlier towards us now? Is the air around Cat really that noticeable? Then again, he clearly remembers us, so maybe it’s not that much of a jump. Still, it’s the first time anything like this has ever happened before.

“Likewise! We’re just taking a stroll around town right now, we’re still not too familiar with what there is to do around here unfortunately!”

“Oh! Well, there’s a tavern or two around here where people are always doing some kind of group activity, those are pretty popular, and Andria screens films at her place over by the south end of town, that’s usually where I like to go.” We seem to be making some headway with him, or at least Cat is. I suppose… I should attempt to join in.

“... A library…?”

“P-pardon me?”

I pull at the part of my tail in front of my mouth to speak more clearly, “A library. Is there a library around here?”

James taps his chin. Clearly not the most avid reader then. “Nothing all that official, but Danny in the middle of town probably has the biggest book collection I know of. They might be willing to let you borrow something.”

 Maybe I’m having an effect too, for as soon as a small smile appears on my face James seems to relax again.Cat seems to have perked up at the mention of possibly borrowing books.

“That’s good to know, thank you for your help, James.” I nod to him and he nods back.

“Have a good day then!” Cat waves to him as we walk on further into town, the man behind us sitting back down on the bench with a sigh.

“That was odd, wasn’t it?”
“Sure, but it was good! Better than the string of bad luck we’ve had recently, I’d say” Cat does indeed say, walking on with her hands held in front of her. 

I smirk, shaking my head with amusement. “Gotta say, Ms. Kitten, you’ve brought quite the luck thus far.” 

I offer a playful shrug and look over at her, the girl blushing and holding her cheek in her palm. She really does seem so happy. It’s been non-stop this entire walk about, I’m honestly impressed. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the fact it comes this naturally to her is amazing. I wonder what it’s like. Referring to her as a girl is so easy to do, yet it feels like it has so much meaning behind it. Maybe…

“...Vixen,” I mutter to myself, the single word muffled in my tail.

“Hmm? What was that, Fox?”

“A-ah, nothing. Or…I don’t know.” I would have reached up to scratch my head but my tail seems to do that for me while I glance away from Cat. “I was just thinking. Since I kind of don’t have a last name anymore either, and you seem so pleased by yours… Maybe… Vixen…?” I expect an immediate response, but when I don’t get one, I turn to look back at Cat and see the biggest grin on her face. “Wh-what?!”

“I just think that’s a wonderful choice, Fox.” The tension in my heart begins to relent, leading to a long sigh. “Question though: Mr Vixen? Mx. Vixen? Or Ms. Vixen?”

Oh god. My heart skips a beat as she offers the third option. I… I really can’t keep denying this to myself, yet I also can’t bring myself to accept these feelings as true. What’s going on with me…? 

Cat notices me struggling in my head, reaching over and placing a hand on my shoulder and offering me her concerned smile. “Everything alright, Ms. Vixen?”

“S-stop! Please…” She snatches her hand back right away, her concern turning to pain now as I shake my head. “I’m sorry. I… I can’t be Ms. Vixen. I just can’t.”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sadness so deep as the one I see on Cat’s face right now. “No, don’t be sorry. I’m sorry for pushing it.” 

Our walk gets a bit slower, taking our time, letting the wind caress our thoughts. We must have gotten up pretty late. It’s not sunset, but the sun seems pretty low already. My heart races just a bit faster as I take note of that. 

“...Can we talk about this, Fox? It’s really starting to concern me, more than before.”

My hand balls into a fist, trembling as I close my eyes. Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. “...I can’t.”

There’s nothing more I can offer as an explanation. Just my sheer inability to confront this problem. 

Cat lowers her head, only to pull it back up smiling. “It’s okay. This is your journey. I’m not going to rush anything, but I’ll be here until you’re ready, and forever more after that.”

God damn her and her sentimentality, striking every chord with intense precision. “...Thanks, Cat.”

Despite the recommendations we’d been given, we forego doing much besides just walking. It’s basically all we did in the city anyways. Besides, even if we know where there are things to do, it doesn’t change that the village still struggles to accept us. The air is refreshing and the breeze is slight and calming. I never quite realized how…deliberate yet completely unpredictable the wind feels. Suddenly, I feel an understanding, almost like the one from last night. This time, however, it’s not about me, but everything around me, everything the air encompasses. I close my eyes and just…let that understanding roam my mind. It doesn’t consume all my thoughts, but simply exists as an extension of myself inside my head. I feel the wind just before it glides past us, where it goes beyond, and the stillness that follows--

“Fox!”

Oh, dammit, she’s had to do that way too often recently. My eyes shoot open and--

“Green!?” My tail is glowing green?! Or at least, it was before my concentration had broken.

“Oh thank goodness… It took a whole minute of trying to get your attention to bring you back. What just happened…?” Her hand lands on my shoulder once more, and I look from her, to the horizon, and then beyond.

“I… I don’t know. I was thinking about the wind, and… I can’t even describe it. I just understood the wind. Oh, god, this is all making me go crazy…” I shake my head, overwhelmed by my own confusion before groaning as Cat’s grip on my shoulder becomes firmer.

“No no, that sounds similar to what happened last night, only regarding the wind instead of our bodies. Plus, you did do some…fancy windy thingy afterwards too. Maybe understanding your true self entails a lot more than we expected.” She smiles at me, and I try to smile back.

“That’s an understatement, when I expected none of what any of this actually means…” A frustrated sigh escapes my mouth and Cat stops walking, her hand keeping me in place with her.

“Let’s go home. The sun is starting to get pretty low anyways, and you seem to be having trouble enjoying yourself out here.”

She’s right. She’s been incredibly right today. She has always been pretty keen on caring for me, though, so I suppose it just makes sense. I look over to her and nod, the two of us taking a turn and slowly making our way back home.