Friends
What is a friend?
Officially, a friend is someone who shares the same interests and values—a kindred spirit.
A few days later, Nine-Tails gained a little follower.
Maybe it was because he had been lonely for too long, or maybe he just knew that a naive little pet cat like Xia wouldn't survive among strays without protection.
By some twist of fate, the two strays became friends.
Through their conversations, Nine-Tails finally understood how Xia ended up leaving its owner.
It was simple—for freedom.
From birth, Xia had lived in a beautiful world.
There was always food, water, and play. Unlike the strays, Xia had never known hardship.
Its owner adored it, showering it with endless love and affection.
It was the kind of life that every stray dreamed of.
But as the saying goes—we always long for what we can't have.
Xia would sit by the window, staring at the world outside. It wanted to see it.
It didn't understand how dangerous the outside world was.
It only knew—it wanted freedom.
Even if it meant giving up everything.
When Nine-Tails first heard Xia's story, he could only feel a deep, aching frustration.
A life of comfort and love—thrown away.
Just to become a stray, struggling to survive day by day.
Then, one day, a small opportunity appeared.
Xia's owner forgot to close the window.
Without hesitation, Xia leapt out, chasing its dream of freedom.
Maybe it was the scent of freedom—too intoxicating to resist.
But Xia got lost.
And ended up in dog territory.
Naive little Xia thought all living beings were as kind as its owner.
It trusted everyone without question, offering kindness to every creature it met.
The result was predictable.
If not for Nine-Tails, that tiny pet cat would have died.
Sometimes, Nine-Tails wondered—if he could be a pet instead of a stray...
If he had an owner like Xia's, would he be happier?
"Hero, hero! Where are we finding food today?"
Xia was overjoyed. It was truly happy—free to run wherever it pleased, no longer confined to a tiny house where every day was just eat, sleep, repeat.
Its constant, overflowing kindness gave Nine-Tails a headache. This naive little thing was better off with its owner. If it stayed with him, sooner or later, something bad would happen.
That thought surfaced in Nine-Tails' mind before he even realized it.
"Look, Hero! Look what I found!"
Xia dashed forward and pulled a half-opened can from a pile of trash.
Inside were a few fish—still fresh, just recently thrown away.
Nine-Tails walked over, sniffing it carefully. It hadn't gone bad.
"Hero, Hero! You eat first! It must be delicious!"
Xia's eyes sparkled, bright like shining stars.
Nine-Tails grabbed a fish from the can, then nudged it toward Xia.
"You eat too. It's not every day strays find food like this."
"Hehe, Hero, you're so nice! My owner would love you! You should come to my house one day—I'll treat you to my favorite steak!"
To Nine-Tails, the world had always been dark.
But Xia was the only flower blooming in that darkness.
The only one that had ever shown it kindness.
And a flower like this belonged in its own world, not in the world of strays.
Nine-Tails remembered how it had been shunned by other strays because of its nine tails and red fur.
Even among animals, outsiders were still treated differently.
Despite being fellow strays, none of them had ever shown Nine-Tails kindness.
So it made up its mind—before it died, it would return Xia to its owner.
Nine-Tails didn't know why this thought had taken root.
Maybe it was because it had seen light—and it cherished that light. It didn't want to see it fade away.
And so, the two strays shared their meal, feasting on the salty fish.
A simple, happy moment—passing by, little by little.
---
As morning broke, Nine-Tails slowly woke up.
But the soft, fluffy little creature that should have been nestled in its arms was gone.
Probably out wandering again.
It was Xia's first time in the outside world—it was too excited to sit still.
Sometimes, it would skip sleep in the mornings just to run around.
Luckily, this area wasn't claimed by dog packs or other strays.
As long as Xia didn't wander too far, Nine-Tails could track it down by scent.
The sun rose higher into the sky.
That little one, who usually would have been back by now, was still missing.
Nine-Tails started to feel uneasy—a feeling it had never experienced before.
"Where the hell did that little one go?"
Following Xia's scent, Nine-Tails began its search.
As it tracked the trail, it started to notice another scent mixed in with Xia's.
Dogs.
A bad feeling crept into Nine-Tails' heart.
"No way… something bad wouldn't have happened, right?"
Pushing forward, Nine-Tails soon spotted a familiar stray—
That same mangy mutt from before.
At that moment, the dog was gnawing on a bone, chewing and licking at it greedily.
As soon as Nine-Tails approached, the mutt spotted him. Its once proudly raised tail immediately tucked between its legs.
"Ah! Boss! Please, have mercy! Want some bone?"
Nine-Tails' eyes flashed with disgust, but instead of lashing out, it simply asked,
"Have you seen a white cat? The one your boss bullied before."
The mutt, terrified, pressed itself against the ground, struggling to remember.
"I think I saw it this morning… ran off ahead. Probably in trouble. Word is, that area belongs to a dog that escaped from a fighting ring—real nasty one."
Nine-Tails' heart sank.
Without another word, it tore off toward Xia's scent.
—
At that moment, inside an abandoned building, a few stray dogs were toying with a small, white kitten.
They bit at it, swatted it with their paws, and even threw it off the ledge.
Luckily, Xia was agile—otherwise, that fall would have already killed it.
"You—you bastards! Just you wait! Hero will come and save me!"
Xia curled into itself, holding its head tightly, its voice brave—but the fear in its expression was impossible to hide.
Then, from the shadows, a pit bull stepped forward.
A massive dog, its entire body covered in bite scars.
Its presence alone was enough to make it clear—this was no ordinary stray.
"Hero?"
The pit bull let out a low chuckle.
"In our world, do you really think heroes exist?"
"Is your so-called hero a human?"
Its voice grew colder.
"Do you not understand? To them, we're nothing but toys."
As it spoke, it bared its teeth—a mouth full of metal.
Its original teeth had been worn down, destroyed in countless fights.
But these steel jaws—they were harder, deadlier than before.
Seeing the pit bull's ruthless gaze, Xia instinctively curled up tighter, as if it could somehow protect itself.
The pack of dogs around them burst into laughter.
°°°
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