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Jisung is running as fast as he can. Which isn’t a lot when you have to carry a thing as large as your head, or even bigger (probably bigger, he hopes so, so he can brag), in your teeth. And, ideally, not make it too dirty in the process. But, anyway, it’s the thought that counts, and the thought in question is to repay the Human.
You see, the winter was hard. It was long and cold. And Jisung might have been a little underprepared. And woodpeckers are douchebags for stealing his nuts repeatedly, and if they could understand his chirps, their beaks would’ve fallen off (since they don’t even have ears, those losers). He also might have forgotten where his stash was. Or a couple. Of tens. But in his defence, it was so snowy it was practically impossible to find where he had buried the acorns. Or if he had found them, his little paws would’ve just grown numb, which is a no, thank you for him, he kinda needs them a lot, still.
So here comes the Human. Perfectly in time, when Jisung, malnourished and desperate, needed him the most. He knew it was dangerous to come as close as he did, yet he had no other choice left at that point. Cheetah is fast. Humans have food. Everyone knows that. Jisung knows that too, so that’s how he found himself in front of an enormous house. He didn’t know where to start his heist but what he did know was that he had to act fast before someone saw him. What he had heard about the humans was pretty contradictory to itself, so he didn’t want to risk. Better safe than sorry.
Yet life had other plans and right as he was rummaging through a bag on the porch, the door opened to reveal a human. Jisung, obeying his instincts, immediately hid behind the bag but continued watching closely in hopes to resume what he was doing soon. The human crouched and outstretched his hand in Jisung’s direction, as if knowing exactly where he was, then slowly opened his palm and revealed a handful of seeds. Jisung was torn. On the one hand (literally), he was offered so much needed food. On the other hand, it had to be a trap. But he already could feel his stomach hurting and body weakening from malnutrition, and the seeds seemed to be enough to keep him going for a while. His small body jerked involuntarily, revealing himself a bit, which brought the human’s attention fully onto him. He froze in the place immediately.
“Hi, pretty,” the human said. “Come here, I won’t hurt you.”
Jisung didn’t necessarily understand what the words meant but the tone they were said in was gentle enough to calm him down a little. Not completely, as he still didn’t dare to move closer, yet he didn’t run away. Jisung was looking between the seeds and the human until the person got the hint.
“Oh,” he sighed, “right.” He dropped the food on the porch floor. “Eat up. I’ll go. It’s cold here anyway.” He got up and disappeared inside. Jisung waited for a while before jumping out from his (not so) hiding spot and stuffing his cheeks with the seeds. He didn’t spend much time there as he had a lot to do in the forest, but this was how he met his Human.
Of course, Jisung didn’t think of him as his at first. But when he found himself impossibly hungry again days later, he decided to try his luck again. And again. And again. And a few more times, because every one of his heists (not really, but he still called them that in his head) had turned successful and had him stuffed with everything he could only wish for. One time he discovered a small plate full of treats, that, he assumed, was for himself. He was finishing his feast when he heard a sound coming from the window. Naturally, he looked up and saw the Human watching him with a smile from behind the glass.
The visits became more frequent and lengthy. Jisung was feeling courageous and confident, and a little bit adventurous, as he already was a usual visitor to this place, so he decided to explore around the familiar porch. He climbed up and down every pole, rummaged through everything he could find on the floor, and jumped on the window to see what was inside. The Human soon relocated his plate closer to the window and watched Jisung eating when he happened to be around at the same time.
And maybe Jisung had become too confident and curious for his own good, as one time he saw the door open and went up too close to notice a cat beforehand. It hissed and tried to jump, and even though the Human managed to push it inside and close the door in time, Jisung was already on his feet, running away, scared and heart racing.
He didn’t leave the forest for days and maybe weeks. He didn’t really have to. His previous ventures gave him enough food to keep himself fed and strong and even make a new stash in his hollow. He still had to fight the damn woodpeckers and other thieves, but it was gradually getting warmer and warmer, and he could dig around for more nuts. So technically, he didn’t need to go to the house. It was probably a trap all along anyway. Just to lure him in, get him nice and fat and, in the end, feed him to the cat. No, thank you. He couldn’t die like that, he was a busy squirrel and had a long list of things to do.
Yet he still kept finding himself missing the place. Mostly treats, of course. Only the treats, he had to correct himself. That’s why he had been going there all along. Yes. The treats. One time, he finally decided, wouldn’t hurt. He was craving seeds anyway. And some carrot. And maybe salad leaves. Or yummy sweet potatoes. And nuts, he was always up for nuts. Yes. So he would go to check if there was anything that had been lacking from his diet, fuel himself up and leave.
The familiar plate was waiting for him in its usual place. It had noticeably less food than before, but it was still there and enough to make him feel wanted. The Human might have been feeding other animals or birds, too, sure, but right at that moment Jisung was there alone. He wasted no time stuffing his cheeks with fresh treats. He was so engrossed in his food that he missed a big white and ginger face staring at him from behind the glass. The cat. Realisation hit him so hard he almost fell off the window, but only because he was surprised. He was familiar with glass already. He knew he was safe.
Soon enough, just one visit became two and three and five, and he found himself frequenting the place yet again. The Winter Cat Incident seemed to be a one time occurrence, though he still was careful. Or tried to be, since he did let his guard down a bit around the Human. He didn’t let any touching but he was now brave enough to sniff the Human and take the treats directly from his hands.
It was warm now, the trees were green and the sun was bright and still gentle, so the Human was outside a lot. During Jisung’s visits, he usually stayed nearby and watched him closely. Jisung appreciated the gesture and in return stayed with his Human while he was working in the garden, jumping around the yard and exploring. Sometimes the Human brought something to chew on for himself too. The first time Jisung saw an unfamiliar brown circle, he tried to grab it but was stopped fast. The circles appeared a few more times and, as curious as he was, he didn’t attempt to snatch them away anymore.
Until he did. To be fair, it wasn’t his Human anymore. They were some random humans in his forest who were too careless to leave human treats with Jisung lurking nearby. He was looking for something yummy for himself when he spotted the same circles his Human liked. It was a no brainer, honestly. A task too easy for a squirrel as fast and skillful as himself.
So he is running now, not really caring about the humans catching him (they didn’t even notice, that’s what he calls a real heist), but wanting to deliver the treat as fast as possible. Soon enough, Jisung spots the house and flies up the porch to the window. He leaves the circle near his own plate, hoping it’s clear enough who the present is from, and hides. He has to wait for a while before his Human appears, seemingly tired. He doesn’t see the treat at first, but then he turns to open the door and notices. He takes it in his hand, looking around confusedly, until he spots Jisung hanging from the pole above his head. They both look at each other, Jisung blinks rapidly a few times, and the Human bursts into laughter.
“Thank you, little one,” he says, and Jisung still has no idea what it means, but when he runs back into the forest, he may be planning how to get a few more brown circles. For no reason.