SaveTheCat

So it started with this lady. She put me on a boat. Can't remember why, something to do with snakes on an island. Hunting. Adventure. I was excited at first, but now I'm mostly bored. I curl up and nap in the middle of the sea. When I wake up I see shore.(click:"When I wake up I see shore.")[ Shore! The tide pushes my hull towards the rock, and I jump out. Saltwater and I take a break for now. [(transition: "pulse")+(transition-time: 5s)["Greetings, sister"]] a meowing voice greets me. [(transition: "pulse")+(transition-time: 5s)["Welcome to Aphrodite's island."]] [(transition: "pulse")+(transition-time: 2s)["Καλημέρα"]], I reply.](click:"Καλημέρα")[ [(transition: "pulse")+(transition-time: 2s)["I hear you have a snake problem."]] [(transition: "pulse")+(transition-time: 5s)["You're centuries late, meow-ate. They've all been eaten generations ago. Haven't seen a snake here in all my years. But then again, Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love, not the Navigator Goddess, so it makes sense that some of us got here late."]] Did I come here for nothing? ](click:"Did I come here for nothing?")[ [(transition: "pulse")+(transition-time: 5s)["You're welcome to stay and settle here, but in the way of snake-hunting, you'll find there's not much to do."]] I ponder. That cat seems sure of what he's saying. But then again, male cats tend to feel sure of a <i>lot</i> of things. Surely <i>all</i> snakes aren't defeated yet? They're probably hiding somewhere. [[Better to investigate.]] On the other hand, it was a long journey. No harm in visiting the land, right? [[I could use another nap.]] ]

If snakes are killing hoomans, I reason, I should look for them next to their homes. Cities grew since I left mine, but still my paws find the nice feel of cobblestone streets heated by the sun. Almost like home, feelings left far behind and found again. Snakes would crave that heat, but I don't see them anywhere. Hoomans make offerings of food. I have a quick bite before I dart off. I'm on a mission.(click:"I'm on a mission.")[ I spot a hole in the ground. Sewers.(click:"Sewers.")[ That's where I would hide. I plunge in the dark, my vision adapting to the dim remnants of light. And I see it.(click:"And I see it.")[ [It's undulating right in front of me. Taunting me with perilous grace. I know what to do. I bend my muscles and jump. Oh no! Right at the last moment, [it went left!]<Left| (mouseover: ?Left)[No matter, I'll follow - now it's [on my right!]<Right| (mouseover: ?Right)[It's swifter than I thought. [A worthy opponent.]<Shoe| (click: ?Shoe)[Fourth time's the charm. [I have it...]<Have| (mouseover: ?Have)[(transition: "pulse")+(transition-time: 5s)["What do you think you're doing?"] [I freeze.]<Freeze|] (click: ?Freeze)[This isn't a snake voice. [(transition: "pulse")+(transition-time: 2s)["Hail, sister"] I meow-tter. I let her tail go. Well, that's embarrassing. [(transition: "pulse")+(transition-time: 2s)["I can explain..."] And explain I do. I try not to stare - I tell her about the boat and the mission. She gifts me the same story the male gave. Not snakes left here. No mission. Her voice sends shivers down my spine. [[I believe her.]] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]]]

I go to the hooman's city. Cobblestone streets, just like I remembered. I look around, just in case, but no snakes. I spot a bookshop.(click:"bookshop.")[ Bookshop hoomans are usually nice. I'm given food and water, and they say nothing when I jump on a shelf. Oh well, books are weird nowadays. All firm with sharp edges. Hmm. but they don't roll away when one sits on them. I can work with that. Hunting trips are fine, but you know what else is fine? Comfort. I will [close my eyes now...]<Eyes| (mouseover: ?Eyes)[And that's when I see it.(click:"I see it.")[ It's a cage with no bars. And inside... [(transition: "pulse")+(transition-time: 5s)["Hello, ssssssssssweet kitty."]] A snake! Right when I left my guard down! I hiss.(click: "I hiss")[ [(transition: "pulse")+(transition-time: 2s)["Thou art my enemy, and I will end you before you bite any more hoomans!"]] [(transition: "pulse")+(transition-time: 5s)["Woh"]], the snake answers. [(transition: "pulse")+(transition-time: 5s)["You need to calm down. I've never bitten anyone in my life. Well, that is except..."]] And the hooman approches. Fearless. She pets my head and opens the snake's cage. [[And she feeds it.]] ]]]]

I believe her. I'm not sure why. I want nothing but to be believing her, every hour of the day. She purrs in amusement. I don't mind much. I like that sound. She says she'll give me a tour of the city. I follow.(click:"I follow.")[ [(transition: "pulse")+(transition-time: 5s)["So what's your name anyway?"]] The cobblestone is even softer on my paws now. We play with passerby's shoelaces a while before we settle. A few weeks pass and we're still settled. She tells me a bit about her. Turns out, we're from the same island, someplace that used to have a famous poetess or something. I meow some of the rhymes to my new companion. I think she's enjoying having me around. I sure enjoy being around her. I should've seen that coming. The Goddess of Love sending me on a hunting trip? Come on. Of course it was a trap. Oh well. It turned out all right, didn't it? [[The End.|Save the Cat]]]

She feeds it a small mouse. No time to flee - the rodent dies without a scream. The hooman is now petting the snake's head, just like she did mine. I understand nothing. Is this a trick? I should wait and see.(click: "I should wait and see.")[ Days become weeks, and the snake just never attacks. It's content to feed on the mouse offerings and to nap most of the day. In a way, we have more in common than I do with hoomans. No sense in hunting it... right?(click: "right?")[ I wait for a sign. The lady-goddess who sent me here says nothing. Zip. Nada. Ничего. Either she forgot about the mission, or this was her plan all along. In any case, I don't feel much like slaying an opponent in its cage. I guess I made a friend instead. [[The End.|Save the Cat]]]]