The Unchangeable Destiny

The days melted away swiftly, marked by The Cat’s playful sprints and leaps, her contented rolls, and her soft, incessant meows.

A little over a year had elapsed since then.

The quiet town remained largely uneventful, but within its peaceful confines, the most significant transformation had occurred in The Cat herself.

From a tiny, half-grown kitten, she had blossomed in just a year, reaching a formidable weight of nearly twenty catties.

Including her tail, she was now a sizable cat, roughly a meter long.

At present, The Cat’s understanding of various concepts had entered a new phase.

Simply put, she could now fully comprehend everyday human speech!

What a joyous development, indeed.

During this period, virtually everyone in the small town had come to know The Cat.

It was inevitable, given her legendary charm, striking features, and her intelligent, endearing nature.

Her daily patrols, brimming with an undeniable presence, made her incredibly popular.

So, what was our beloved Cat doing now?

“Grrr…”

Autumn had arrived, and The Cat lay sprawled beneath a tree, emitting a sound of profound boredom.

Her pristine, soft fur harmonized beautifully with the bright yellow, neatly fallen leaves.

Having eaten her fill and just completed her daily patrol, The Cat found herself utterly listless.

Wenwen, who used to play with ice cubes for her, and the boys who once tried every trick to catch her, had all left home to attend school far away.

‘School,’ Bai mused.

She understood it as the human method of inheriting knowledge, much like her own mother had once taught her and her siblings how to scale walls and trees, how to hunt, and how to eat.

The difference, however, was that cats learned through direct example, while humans used ‘books’ for instruction.

‘Books’ contained ‘words.’

It took Bai a long time to grasp that these ‘words’ were simply the spoken language of humans.

Once this clicked, deciphering written text became remarkably easy.

Thanks to Bai’s unique ability, she could effortlessly comprehend the meaning of words, which were, after all, carriers of information.

Unfortunately, Bai couldn’t yet fully connect these meanings with reality.

Even with her exceptional intelligence, she was still in a stage where she could only understand what she directly perceived.

Abstract descriptions, multi-layered explanations, and the interpretation of fictional models remained beyond her grasp.

This limitation was particularly severe because Bai couldn’t communicate with humans, despite her ability to discern everything.

However, Bai had no need for such understanding, so it mattered little.

Perhaps it would resolve itself naturally in the future.

The thought of learning brought Bai’s mind back to her own siblings.

They too had learned and lived together before venturing far away.

Lost in thought, Bai affectionately flattened her ears, watching the leisurely white clouds drift across the sky.

Her own thoughts soared into the distance, following their path.

‘What lay beyond, in those farther reaches?’ Bai wondered, though for now, she had no desire to leave this place.

Unsure of what to do, she decided a nap would be best.

True to her word, Bai immediately lay down and drifted off to sleep.

During her light slumber, Bai sensed a gentle caress on her head.

“Meow?”

Before she even opened her eyes, Bai caught a familiar scent.

Drowsily, she opened her eyes, intending to rub her head against the touch, but found only empty air.

Losing her balance, she nearly tumbled over.

“Meow meow meow?”

Bai’s eyes widened instantly as she looked around curiously.

‘Strange… I distinctly felt Grandma Liu’s presence just now… Could it be… hide-and-seek?’

Intrigued, Bai dashed back home.

She sniffed the air, following the scent until it led her to Grandma Liu’s room (the mother of Liu and his wife).

The elderly woman lay quietly on the bed, deep in a peaceful sleep.

Bai carefully jumped onto the bed frame, making sure not to step on Grandma Liu.

“Meow~”

Calling softly, Bai extended a paw to gently touch Grandma Liu’s thin, bony hand.

Grandma Liu seemed to be sleeping as lightly as a napping cat, or perhaps she was just on the verge of waking.

Her eyelids fluttered, and her cloudy eyes slowly opened.

“Meow?”

‘Had Grandma Liu fallen asleep so quickly?’

The simple-minded cat had no complex thoughts, only curiosity about why the grandma who had just been playing hide-and-seek with her had fallen asleep so suddenly.

“…”

The old woman stared blankly for a long time with her dull, cloudy eyes before laboriously sitting up.

In a moment, her usual rosy complexion returned.

“Da Bai… Grandma just dreamed of you, it seems.”

‘Dream?’

Bai understood what dreams were.

‘Could one play hide-and-seek even in dreams?’

“Meow~ Mmm.”

Bai lowered her head, nudging the old woman’s hand to rest on her head, playfully begging for another round of hide-and-seek.

Grandma Liu didn’t understand what The Cat wanted.

She merely leaned against the headboard, affectionately stroking The Cat.

‘Not playing anymore?’

Bai rubbed against her, finding comfort in the strokes nonetheless.

After stroking her for a short while, Grandma Liu rose to pour some cat food for Bai.

The cat food was bought by Liu and his wife.

There wasn’t much of it, and Bai usually ate it as a snack.

The taste was decent, but it was a bit dry; Bai still preferred to hunt for herself.

What was peculiar was that not only did Liu and his wife buy it, but many other families in town also purchased it.

Whenever they saw The Cat, they would offer her some and then enthusiastically rub her head.

‘Was this some peculiar new form of blessing?’

Several more days passed.

During this time, Bai finally sensed that something was amiss.

The old woman was frequently using ‘dreams’ to play hide-and-seek with her.

It happened when Bai was sleeping, when she was resting on a tree branch, when she was being chased by the madman from the south end of the village, and when she was jumping onto the Zhao family’s courtyard wall to see if Wenwen had returned.

It was regardless of occasion, regardless of day or night.

This was something Bai had never witnessed in anyone else.

She realized this might be an anomaly.

However, even using her abilities, Bai couldn’t discern what was truly happening to Grandma Liu.

Until today, when Bai clearly saw the ‘outcome.’

One day in the future, Grandma Liu would disappear, never to be seen again.

For the first time in a long while, Bai thought of ‘death.’

She could now understand death, but she couldn’t comprehend why the old woman, who wasn’t sick or injured, would simply… turn to dust after falling asleep.

Bai desperately wanted to alter that disappearing future.

“That cat seems to have gone mad.”

Thus, such rumors began to spread throughout the small town.

Bai’s recent anomalies were clear for all to see: sleepless nights, never leaving the old woman’s side, attempting to attack the air, and constantly trying to prevent the old woman from sleeping.

Everyone could sense The Cat’s profound anxiety.

Bai was plagued by a splitting headache, unable to sleep through the nights.

She couldn’t understand what was bringing about death.

She yearned for someone to help her, to answer her doubts.

‘Why, why, why, why, even after seeing everything around me, seeing through all possibilities, does death still arrive as scheduled?’

It was unstoppable.

Bai finally realized this and understood that she could no longer disturb the old woman in such a manner.

Bai’s unusual behavior ceased.

The old woman’s own peculiarities also stopped.

Grandma Liu seemed to realize something too, instinctively pulling her son and daughter-in-law close, repeatedly urging them to live well and take care of their health.

Bai silently remained by the old woman’s side.

The future could not be changed.

Knowing this, she would simply accompany her for this last, precious bit of time.