Minseok had no idea how he was made or where he had come from but he was aware of one thing and one thing only.

                Minseok wasn’t human, well not as human as everyone else was so it seemed. Minseok was able to shape shift, but he wasn’t aware of how he could. So for now he was stuck in the form of a hopeless kitten.

                It was a rainy, murky day when Minseok first awoken. From what he wasn’t sure of but he was aware that he didn’t like water. He didn’t like it at all. It was wet and cold; it made him shiver and sneeze. And he learnt he hated to sneeze because it made his nose feel all tingly.

                He quickly ran down a narrow alley way. His wet light-grey paws turned a darker grey in the murky puddles which made him flinch with horror and shiver through the coldness until he stumbled upon an already damp, cold box but it was better than being out in that.

                Light whimpers came from inside of the box, Minseok realised that it was him that was making that noise. He shivered into the cold corner of the box, scared of what would happen to him. He was so cold and only then did he realise he was hungry.

That’s where Minseok met his saviour. A set of wet feet settled in front of the box and with wide eyes he stared as knees came into view next, not caring much about the wet floor beneath them. Two hands came next until a gentle soft face came into view, wet black hair dangled and he had the urge to play with it.

A gentle hand came out and the figure smiled “I’m here.” She said softly beckoning the drenched Minseok “It’s okay now.”

Minseok very reluctantly moved towards the hand and sniffed it, only to flinch when the girl extended her fingers and he let out a mewl because he was scared. She was so much bigger than he was and he didn’t know who she was.

“I know you’re scared.” She soothed, probably feeling quite stupid to talk to a cat “Come with me. I’ll make it better.” She extended her fingers again.

                He stepped towards her again and realised her hand was emitting heat, his head nudged under her fingers and she gently caressed the space between his ears which he seemed to enjoy much more than he cared to admit.

                Her scent intoxicated him as she smelt of comfort, warmth and loving care. Her second hand came into the box and her hair was now dripping wet as she reached in, waiting for Minseok’s approval.

                One on her hand was all it took for Minseok to be lifted into a warm embrace as the girl cradled the poor, wet and hungry kitten against her chest, tucking him beneath her jacket to keep him from the harsh and wet weather.

                Automatically Minseok was grateful to the girl who had given him kindness, he loved how warm she felt and how she had sacrificed her own dryness in getting him to safety. He wasn’t aware of when he fell asleep but he did so feeling a flutter inside of his heart.

~

Minseok woke up to a gentle caress behind his ear and was startled when he heard himself purr. His eyes shot open and he felt calm when he saw her face staring at him with utter affection. He soon settled his head back down on the top of his paws and heaved a sigh of relief.

He was no longer soaked to the bone, he was warm beneath a blanket which was so soft and his surroundings were no longer wet and murky.

The girl smiled at him gently, running the pad of her finger over the top of his head between the spaces of his ears “You’re safe now. I bet you’re hungry. But I don’t have any cat food.” She looked crest fallen at her own words which made Minseok look at her with curiosity because why did it affect her? “But I’m sure I’ve got something.” She stood up and moved towards the cupboard.

                Minseok wasn’t sure what the feeling meant inside of him when she walked away, he felt the compelling need to run after her. But he stopped himself because he knew she wasn’t going to go anywhere.

                His eyes watched her every move, she was no longer drenched either although her hair was still wet, just a lot drier than it was before. She bent down to grab a bowl before opening a can of something which made Minseok’s mouth water almost instantly. She grabbed another bowl and filled it with water, making Minseok’s mouth suddenly go instantly dry.

                He was instantly confused with the different ways his body reacted, but he was soon sat up as she came closer with the two bowls before she sat cross legged across from him.

“It’s all that I have.” She said setting the bowl of food down in front of him and then proceeded to move the second.

Minseok sniffed at it and sworn that he felt himself get dragged into the mouth-watering smell to the point where he could sense where it had originated from. He stuck his tongue out and it only to have consumed the whole bowl in a few minutes at least.

Her laugh made him stop and look up at her because it was the most beautiful sound Minseok had ever heard, not that he could recall anything before waking up in the rain but he was sure it was the most beautiful noise he’d ever hear.

“You’re so cute.” She said softly “Who could do this to such an innocent creature?” she asked rhetorically “Drink up. You need your strength.”

                Minseok wanted to smile at the girl but he didn’t even know how to so he moved towards the bowl of water and began lapping it up. The fact that it splashed up into his face because he wasn’t quite used to how his own body worked yet made him flinch. Although he’d quite happily do it again if the girl laughed like she did when she witnessed the small act.

She brought her fingers to his head again and he purred almost immediately “Take it easy. It’s not going anywhere.”

                He wanted to roll his eyes but instead he continued attempting to try to drink, once or twice he would mess up and at one point he accidently dunked his own head into the water. He was beginning to get annoyed at himself but whenever he had the undying urge to smack himself for being so stupid, he heard her laugh and it made him feel better. He would do a thousand things to make her laugh.

She grabbed a towel which was resting behind him and gently wiped his face “I think I’ll call you Xiumin.” She said softly.

                Minseok was aware that he already had a name, but he liked hers so much better because she had given it to him. He soon stopped drinking and she moved the bowl away from him.

She used her finger to tickle under his chin and it felt like the best thing in the world to him “You look exhausted. Shall we go to bed?”

                At first Minseok thought she was going to leave him in the gigantic living room all by himself but when she carefully lifted him and the extra-soft blanket he was overwhelmed with relief. She carried him into the bedroom and before he knew it he was tucked in beside her.

                Her eyes scanned over him gently and he never felt more comfortable. He never felt more whole and he could have sworn that his heart skipped a beat when he felt her hand softly caress him from the top of his head all the way down his back.

That night Minseok fell in love with a human girl who selflessly took him into her home and let him into her heart.

Minseok spent two years with the girl and at some point he figured out how to shape shift but not very well and he’d always find that he went back to his original form. Which really wasn’t his original form at all, he just didn’t know it.

The girl – who Minseok later found out, was called Hana – Always came home to smile at him and he found out from the hours of watching TV when she wasn’t home that he was definitely in love with the girl.

                That one fatal day when Minseok had followed her out of the house blindly he moved swiftly between the pedestrians to catch up to her. It happened as fast as a blink of an eye, he ran out into the road assuming she had turned to cross when he heard a sudden beep of a car.

                Out of nowhere he was scooped up by Hana and she shielded him with her own body as the car collided with her. Minseok’s heart broke when she fell to the floor after being knocked up and over the car.

                He was released from her grip and was on her no longer moving chest. He wanted to cry but in this form it was impossible, he wanted to scream for help but he couldn’t do anything. He was useless, his saviour and his only love and friend was now lying cold beneath him. It was over. She was gone.