Work Text:
The stars sparkled across the sky.
The wind sang in soft breaths, as if
rocking the trees to sleep.
A small cat padded through the darkness.
His paws crept quietly over the bark,
as silent as if his weight were little more than an autumn leaf drifting down from the branches.
Xiao hei was a proud cat.
He liked his black fur.
It carried the color of the night within it.
When he crept through the night,
he was one with the shadows.
White reminded him of a sheep.
Xiao hei was not a sheep!
Even if its fur was as white as winter snow, it was still a proud little cat. He snorted contentedly.
Sheep were stupid.
The only things they could do were stand,
poop, and eat grass.
Of course, they also bleated a lot.
Xiao bai liked sheep. But that was because
she liked everything. A dragonfly in summer,
the earthworms in the garden...
Sheep were among them too.
But cats? He lifted his head contentedly.
Yep. Cats were her favorite animals.
Xiao hei was a cat.
With a single leap, he was onto the branch.
The bark scratched lightly under his soft paws. Satisfied, he crept onward.
The wind brushed gently over his fur,
danced across the leaves.
He stopped. Breathed in the scent.
It smelled of rain. Of grass, of fresh earth and fallen leaves.
Xiao hei looked down. The ground was far away. It was very high up here.
Xiao hei was a cat.
If he were a bird, he could fly down.
Sure, Xiao hei wasn't a "normal"
cat, so theoretically he could float a liiittle bit, but only in an emergency—
Although... His whiskers twitched.
Heh. Wings? Who needed those.
He made a decision.
A really not-smart—in short, stupid—one. But who cared?
The air rushed past him as the earth drew closer and closer. The forest seemed to hold its breath.
He closed his eyes.
Counted the time. 1...2...
He landed. Not on the cold ground, but in arms. A familiar scent enveloped him.
Xiao hei felt contentment wash over him.
Ha. He had won.
"2 seconds. Not bad (还可以呀), Shi fu."
Yep. He was a talking cat.
Surprised?
Shi fu didn't mind. (Shi fu means master)
"Why did you jump?"
Wu Xian's voice was as dull as ever.
If Xiao hei didn't know better, he would have taken him for a stone.
It didn't bother him; after all, Shi fu was over 400 years old.
Just like a stone.
"Just because!"
He hummed cheerfully. Cats weren't suicidal, after all.
"You didn't want to climb down yourself?"
Asked Wu Xian.
Xiao hei grinned cheekily.
"I could have. But this was more fun!"
He meowed, snuggling closer into his arms. Shi fu was his favorite sleeping stone.
He was warm. Comfortable.
Above all, Shi fu was the best!
(Even Lu ye couldn't hold a candle to him.
Even if her cooking was a hundred times better than Wu Xian's.) A sigh.
"I'm not a firefighter.
Their job is to get cats down from trees."
But his voice was gentle.
His hands held him softly.
Heh. Shi fu treated him like a little kitten. How sweet.
He purred with self-pride.
Another victory.
"You're not a chef either. At least not a good one."