2 - Learning to Hunt nyaa~

002 Learning how to hunt nyaa~

Mother: “Today, I will be teaching everyone how to hunt!”

Mother raised her paws and declared. Speaking of hunting, I was always chasing after birds and mice. Was it different from that? My siblings tend to come back, bringing butterflies and frogs along with them. But that was physiologically impossible for me.

Mother: “Today, I’m aiming for a big prey. Meat is most delicious when it is dripping with blood.”

Siblings: “It will be a feast!”

Both of my siblings rejoiced.

“Dripping with blood is not a good mark of it’s taste!” I retorted….

Rather, when she said big prey, it was that wasn’t it?

Sometimes, when mother came back, she would bring back a wolf-like creature that was smaller than her…. If we considered the wolf to be the size of a medium-sized dog, then Mother would be around 3 meters long…. No way, right…?

Mother: “For today’s hunt, I will be showing everyone an example to learn from. Look very closely, okay~?”

Boycat: “Ehh! I can do it too～”

Girlcat: “I also want to hunt.”

“I’m fine with just observing.”

Mother: “Don’t be spoiled! Shaa～!!”

All: “Yes, Mom!!”

I was scolded even though I said I was going to observe…. Mother’s angry face, with her bared teeth, was super scary so I wish she wouldn’t get mad.

Mother: “I will start looking for prey now. Follow me quietly.”

All: “Yes, Mom.”

The four cats left the cave they called home and dashed through the woods in search of prey. So fast! Mother and my siblings didn’t seem to be running seriously, but I couldn’t even barely keep up with them. Was it because of this round body of mine? They had less air resistance after all. I desperately followed them. After a while, Mother stopped running and spoke to us.

Mother: “Up to this point, it is still within our territory. Try taking a few steps forward.”

Following Mother’s words, we began trudging forward.

Hmm? The smell changed? Also, there was a tingling sensation on my fur…. It felt strange.

Mother: “How is it? Did you get it?”

Boycat: “Hmm. I don’t think I really understand.”

Girlcat: “I understand. The smell has changed!”

Mother: “That’s right. That’s the correct answer. Good girl!”

Girlcat: “Ehem!”

Boycat: “Uuu~.”

Mother: “You also noticed it, right?”

Mother asked me that question, seeming convinced of herself. Should I honestly say what I felt just now? Hmm…. There’s no point worrying about it I guess.

“The smell changed and I felt some tingling on my fur?”

Mother: “As I expected. You were looking around restlessly, hence I was convinced.”

Siblings: “Brother is amazing!”

Mother: “That’s right. To be able to feel it at his size is amazing. Good boy!”

“Nyaan.”

Don’t praise me so much! I was so embarrassed I made a strange noise. Still, I needed to be more careful. I was scared of being exposed as a former human. I was already a Nekomata 1 , so I needed to be cautious.

Mother: “You’ve all remembered the boundary of our territory? When you go out to play, you can’t come all the way here, ok?”

All: “Yes, Mom.”

Mother: “From here on, we will be outside our territory, so we will proceed carefully. Since it’s dangerous, make sure to listen to me.”

All: “Yes, Mom.”

Mother proceeded to take us slowly through the woods.

Come to think of it, this was the first time I had travelled out this far. My siblings were looking around the surroundings curiously as we walked along. Even though the scenery didn’t change much, my interest was piqued by the black trees growing sporadically in the forest. It was completely pitch black from the trunk all the way to the leaves. I had never seen anything like this before. In front of our dwelling, there was also a completely white tree. Could this be in the depths of the Amazon? If, at least, this was part of Mount Fuji’s Aokigahara Forest, I could find a way home.

Mother: “Stay quiet! Hide yourselves in the grass!!”

Following Mother’s instructions, everyone quickly hid themselves. After a short while, a large black boar-like creature appeared in front of us. Was that a boar? It seemed to have 2 horns attached to it though…. I still didn’t have a reliable reference to gauge the size, but if we considered the wolf’s size to be standard, the boar must be close to 6 meters. In that case wouldn’t Mother really be 3 meters long…? Is she really a cat? At this rate, wouldn’t a tiger be more accurate? Well, she totally looked like a cat though….

Did such a big creature exist on Earth? Unless this place was not Earth? No way, this must be the depths of an unexplored jungle, so it isn’t strange for animals to grow that huge… right?

Suddenly, I remembered the words of that devil (Goddess) Amaterasu in my mind.

“There is also a world where living things have evolved differently from Earth.”

As the unpleasant idea came to my mind, I rejected it and shook off the idea when the horned boar started to walk away. At that same time, Mother visibly relaxed and began to speak to us.

“That just now is the animal who made this area their territory. While it’s strong, if we properly hide ourselves, it won’t be able to find us. If you ever meet it, hide right away.”

Hearing Mother’s words, my siblings began asking questions.

Boycat: “Can I beat it?”

Girlcat: “Is it stronger than Mom?”

Mother: “Of course Mother is stronger. You are still young so don’t attack it, ok? Don’t hunt prey that could hurt you.”

Boycat: “Why~?”

Girlcat “Why~?”

Mother: “If you get injured, you could fall ill, and would be unable to get the prey you are hunting for. That’s why, you should know your limits, and only hunt prey you can definitely win.”

Boycat: “Yes!”

Girlcat: “I got it~”

“Yes, Mom.”

Mother: “Come on, let’s continue with our hunt~”

All: “Yes, Mom.”

As I walked carefully through the woods, exploring with my family, I caught a faint, familiar scent on the wind. This smelled… like a wolf? It didn’t seem to be alone, but I’m not sure. Mother seemed to have noticed it too, but my siblings didn’t seem to have noticed it yet. I would just pretend not to notice… Ah! Mother’s eyes met with mine. Did she realise?

Mother: “From that direction, there are two good prey. Everyone should hide here, and wait and see how Mom hunts.”

All: “Yes, Mom.”

After saying that, Mother silently walked over to hide in the grass. Sometime after Mother had hidden herself, two wolves appeared. They had come it seemed. As Mother said, there were really two. As expected of a pro hunter. To be even able to tell the numbers from that faint smell, Mother was amazing. Oh! Mother began to move. So silent and fast! In an instant, she approached and attacked the two animals from the flank. Mother slammed her left paw against the head of one of the wolves and mushed it against the ground. The wolf stopped moving with a squeaking, unpleasant noise.

Siblings: “Mother is so strong!”

“Mother is so overpowered….”

The remaining wolf was surprised for a brief moment after which it immediately began to run away. Without being flustered, Mother calmly swung her left paw down. From the motion, wind appeared that became a sharp blade, separating the wolf’s head from its body.

Siblings: “Mother, that’s amazing!”

“…………”

I was so stunned that I couldn’t even make a sound. Again, I remembered that devil (Goddess) Amaterasu’s words.

“There are worlds where science has developed beyond Earth’s, and there are worlds where magic can be used. Those are popular with young people.”

In other words, it seemed I had been reincarnated in another world~!!!

Footnotes

Nekomata are a kind of cat yōkai described in Chinese and then Japanese folklore, classical kaidan, essays, etc. There are two very different types: those that live in the mountains and domestic cats that have grown old and transformed into yōkai.