The Crescent Moon in the Starry Forest is just a Giant Kitten~

Meeting Humans (2)

(The giant cat, Gyanpi?)

I tilted my head at the unfamiliar term. The man continued in a deep, gravelly voice.

“Not many humans know about its existence or name.”

So humans have given me that name and are calling me that. But I’m only about six months old, and I don’t think any humans have seen me before.

Though he didn’t understand my confusion, the man went on.

“It’s said that the giant cat, Gyanpi, is the only creature that can walk freely through the ‘Starfall Forest’ without getting lost. There have even been stories of lost travelers being guided out of the forest by the giant cat, Gyanpi.”

Lost travelers? I’ve never guided anyone out of the forest…

My confusion continued to grow.

“I once encountered another giant cat, Gyanpi. They say only one exists in this forest, so it was likely your predecessor. Or perhaps your parent? It was an older, even larger cat than you.”

(Predecessor? Parent? What is he talking about?)

My head was full of questions, but since I couldn’t ask them, I let out a confused ‘Meow’.

The man smiled and said softly, “I didn’t mean to intimidate a little kitten.”

His words, spoken as if addressing a regular kitten, left me baffled. Sure, I’m a kitten, but I’m big!

He didn’t seem like a woodcutter, and maybe he was confident in his abilities, but still, he should have shown some caution or fear.

Looking at me with his deep blue-green eyes, he continued.

“You have black fur, but your paws are white like if they were wearing socks. And a crescent moon pattern on your chest… The previous giant cat, Gyanpi, was a tortoiseshell.”

(Hmm…)

It’s strange to think that there was a big cat like me before. But I don’t feel like that previous cat was my parent.

Perhaps when the predecessor died, I was born. It might be just that simple.

For creatures like centaurs, who reproduce, I don’t really understand how mythical creatures and fairies like me come into existence.

I’m kind of curious, but also, it doesn’t really matter… Yeah, it doesn’t matter.

Having reached that conclusion, I scratched my ear with my hind leg.

“You are truly big. When I saw the previous giant cat, Gyanpi, it was from a distance, but up close, you are quite imposing. Though you do have a cute face.”

As I scratched my ear, some fur floated onto the man’s clothes, which he brushed off as he spoke.

“I wonder how much you understand. They say the giant cat, Gyanpi, is intelligent, but you seem like just a big kitten.”

Feeling underestimated, I angrily meowed, ‘Meow!’ and flicked my fluffy tail against the ground.

“Ah, did I offend you? It seems you understand some of what I’m saying. You must be quite intelligent.”

With that, the man looked up at me with his blue-green eyes and said,

“If you can understand me, let me introduce myself. My name is Harold Walker. I’m from a country called Orlite to the west of this forest, just an insignificant old man.”

So his name is Harold. But he doesn’t seem like an insignificant old man. He looks strong and full of life. He has a presence… He doesn’t seem like someone who would die easily.

Harold isn’t just an ordinary old man, is he? I won’t be fooled by such lies. Tell me your true identity.

“Meow.”

Furrowing my brows and continuing to flick my tail, Harold laughed.

“I can somewhat understand what you’re saying. You have expressive eyes, and your tail conveys emotions.”

Then he started explaining again.

“I’m a sage. Not a title I chose, but one humans have called me for a long time. It’s an impressive title, and I’ve accepted it rather than denying it.”

A sage? I tilted my head. From the sound of it, he seemed like a very knowledgeable person.

“A sage is generally considered an extraordinarily wise and capable person, often unique in the world. Particularly knowledgeable in various fields and also skilled in magic… Don’t make me explain this about myself.”

Harold said, looking slightly embarrassed.

“In my case, I do have broad knowledge, but I don’t know everything, and specialists can outmatch me in certain areas. Having traveled the world in my youth, I have a wider but shallower pool of knowledge. I can use magic, but I’m not the strongest in the world.”

I thought that didn’t sound very impressive. Harold laughed.

“I’m just a well-informed old man.”

But he’s not just well-informed, he’s also quite curious. I haven’t seen any humans who would build a house in the Starfall Forest. Aren’t they afraid of monsters?

“Meow.”

I pointed at the house behind Harold with my large paw.

Harold glanced back at the house and then looked at me again.

“What? That’s my house. I’m old and wanted to avoid the troubles and conflicts of my country, so I decided to live quietly here in this dangerous forest, where no ordinary human would think to reside. Even if monsters attack or fairies try to confuse me, I can handle it. I can protect myself.”

He set down the axe he was holding and continued.

“But there is one thing that worries me. I don’t fully understand this forest. I’ve explored the Starfall Forest many times, but it’s vast and easy to get lost in, so I haven’t reached the central area. The terrain changes, and even the landmarks I set up disappear due to mischievous fairies.”

Harold stroked his beard and proposed.

“So, meeting you here must be some kind of fate. Would you form a contract with me?”

(A contract?)

I blinked in surprise.

“By forming a contract as a summoned beast, I will be able to call upon you at any time. When exploring the Starfall Forest, I want your assistance. Having the giant cat Gyanpi, who knows the forest well, would be reassuring for me.”

(Summoned beast…)

I blinked again, thinking. This contract doesn’t benefit me at all, does it? I’d just be summoned by Harold and made to help him, right? That’s absolutely out of the question. Most of all, it sounds like a hassle.

(No way.)

I shook my head silently.

Just as I was about to leave, Harold hastily said, “Wait, wait. If you agree to respond to my summons, I’ll provide compensation. What do you want? You don’t need money… how about food? Wait a moment.”

Harold turned his back to me and quickly went into the house.

Compensation, huh… I don’t particularly want anything, and I’m not that interested in food either. I should just refuse the contract.

As I yawned widely and thought about it, Harold returned, holding something in both hands.

“I brought something you wouldn’t usually get to eat in the forest: dried meat and fish, and cheese.”

What’s this? Since it was all new to me, I got curious and brought my nose close to what Harold was holding. I sniffed it intensely.

“You seem quite curious, just like a kitten,” Harold said with a smile. 

Sniff sniff.

The dried meat, fish, and cheese all had a bit of a gamey or fishy smell, but it was a compelling scent, not unpleasant. I found the smell appetizing and started salivating.

However, putting something unknown into my mouth still made me nervous, so I continued sniffing thoroughly. 

Sniff sniff.

As I kept my big nose close to Harold’s hands and sniffed for a long time, Harold, bathed in my breath, said, “Why don’t you try eating some? It’s tasty.”

Encouraged, I tried the dried meat first. I was surprised at how hard it was. I had only been eating fruits until now.

I chewed it in my mouth for a while, softening it with saliva before biting down with my back teeth. The concentrated flavor spread throughout my mouth, and the deliciousness made me smile involuntarily. This is good!

Even though the piece of dried meat was quite small for me, it was more than enough to taste the flavor.

“How about the fish?”

After finishing the meat, Harold offered me the fish. It looked like a large piece of dried fish, paler than the meat.

When I chewed it, it was less oily and a bit dry, but it was tasty. Good.

“Do you want some cheese?”

Next, I was a piece of yellow cheese. It was probably a large piece for Harold, but small for me.

When I chewed it, I was amazed by the taste. What is this? It sticks to my teeth a bit and is salty, but it’s delicious! It has a richness and smoothness that fruits don’t have.

Even though it sticks to my teeth, it’s incredibly tasty!

As I chewed with bright eyes, Harold said somewhat proudly, “Human food is delicious, isn’t it? Judging by your expression, it seems you like cheese the most. If that’s the case…”

Harold went back to the house again and returned with a ceramic container of something.

“This is goat milk. Try it and see if you like it.”

Peering into the container, I saw white liquid. I brought my nose close and sniffed. It had a gently sweet and pleasant smell.

Since everything Harold offered was delicious, I opened my mouth without hesitation.

“There’s about a liter, but for you, that’s just one gulp.”

Harold tilted the container, pouring the milk into my mouth.

As I swallowed the milk, I perked up my ears in excitement.

(Milk! This is delicious too!)

It was light and easy to drink, with a sweet flavor and richness. Unlike cheese, it wasn’t salty, so I felt like I could drink a lot of it.

“Myaaaw,” I mewed, asking for more, but it seemed there wasn’t any left.

“That’s all for today. It spoils quickly, so I can’t stockpile it.”

“Meew,” I mewed softly in disappointment. 

Well, it’s for the kid goat, so I shouldn’t be greedy.

“Looks like milk is your favorite,” Harold said.

“Myaa,” I nodded in agreement, and Harold smiled, raising one corner of his mouth.

“So, how about this? If you contract with me, I’ll give you milk every time you respond to my summons.”

“Myaaw!” 

I agreed to the contract immediately, unlike before.

Harold seemed surprised and said, “Is it alright to agree so easily just for some milk?”

“Mew!” 

To me, milk was as precious as the falling stars in the forest are to humans.

Seeing my determined, intense gaze, Harold chuckled.

“So, the giant cat Gyanpi can be won over with milk. I learned something new at this age.”

Then he continued, “To form the contract, I need to give you a name. If you already have one, that’s fine, but if not, I’ll come up with one.”

The centaurs called me ‘Crescent Moon,’ so I guess that’s my name. But I can’t convey that to Harold, and I don’t really care about the name, so he can call me whatever he likes.

Since I didn’t say anything, Harold thought for a moment and said, “If you don’t have a name… then I’ll call you Crescent Moon.”

Harold’s gaze was on the white crescent moon on my chest. It was a coincidence, but it matched the name the centaurs had given me. Does this crescent moon pattern on my chest really stand out that much?

Then Harold began drawing strange characters and patterns on the ground with a long, broken tree branch. The grass in this area was cleared away, leaving a flat surface, so Harold must have been maintaining it regularly.

“This is a magic circle. It’s used to cast a spell on Crescent Moon to form the contract with the summoned beast,” Harold explained, but I was more interested in the moving branch and pawed at it.

The characters Harold was drawing got distorted.

“Hey, stop that.”

Harold moved to a different spot and started drawing again, but I followed and continued to interrupt.

When someone tells me not to do something, it makes me want to do it more. Normally, I wouldn’t care about a stick, but right now, I really wanted the branch Harold was holding.

“Stop it, Crescent Moon.”

Even when scolded, I didn’t listen. After all, I am a kitten.

After interrupting him about five times, Harold took a purple magic stone from his pocket and ate it. He then cast a spell, forming a semi-spherical shield around himself. Apparently, he didn’t need a magic circle to cast a shield; chanting a spell was enough.

“Now, you can’t interfere.”

The shield was barely visible but slightly whitish, allowing me to see Harold clearly inside.

Harold began drawing the magic circle again without my interference. I banged on the shield with my paw, but it didn’t budge.

“Alright, it’s done.”

Once the magic circle was complete, Harold dispelled the shield and handed me the branch.

Hmm… but I don’t really want the branch after all. I only wanted it because he was using it.

When I turned my head away from the offered branch, Harold looked a bit puzzled.

“What? You don’t want it? Cats are so capricious.”

Then, I was told to stand on the magic circle, so I obediently complied for the milk.

As I sat in the center of the magic circle, Harold chanted a long incantation. When he finished, the magic circle glowed brightly for a moment.

(So bright!)

I squinted and made a stern face. My pupils must have narrowed into slits.

“Alright, it’s done. The contract is complete. I don’t think I’ll summon you frequently, but please help me out if something happens. I’m counting on you.”

Harold reached out and scratched under my chin.

(What is this? It feels good.)

I closed my eyes in pleasure at this new sensation, and Harold smiled softly at me.