Lu Han yawns into the night and pulls his coat higher up around his neck. He should have brought a hat to keep his head warm. He’d been just a tiny bit too late to remember to grab it. He pulls up the night vision goggles to his eyes, scanning the terrain just downhill from his perch on a rocky outcrop. No sign of the wildcat yet, but if the creature’s habits prove resilient, Lu Han expects to see it before too long. The wildcat is nocturnal, solitary. Literally, solitary. In this part of the world it is the last of its species. Back at the Wild Hybrid Preservation Center in Beijing, Lu Han had spent a full year learning about the animal’s nature, habitat, diet, hunting routines, general lifestyle, not including an intense study of the immediate terrain wherein the creature lives, a wooded forest reserve that is fortunately smack in the middle of a protected national park. How the creature had gotten here was not the mystery; how it manages to survive, alone, all these years certainly is.

The last of its kind, a hybrid wildcat who, since not long after its birth, has lived alone and out of contact from both wildcat and man.

Lu Han’s prime directive is to ensure its survival, short of capturing the poor creature for life in captivity. If he can tame it, persuade it to leave its habitat, finding a mate from another small colony in southern Africa may be a possibility. But wildcats are not surprisingly suspicious by nature. The last one successfully brought in lived for three years in captivity and never once shifted into its human form. At the end of those three years, it was released back into the wild. That was thirty years ago, when there was a fledgling wildcat family still living on the reserve. He was almost definitely the parent of this offspring that Lu Han has been following for weeks.

Two hours pass without sight of the cat. Lu Han dares not stand and move around. His muscles are locked into position, his back has been aching for days. He moves not a single nerve, too cautious even to breathe loudly into the quiet, nightly atmosphere. The only sounds are the ones of small nocturnal animals, the true animals of this forest. And still no sight of…

From down the ravine, comes the cat. Lu Han wouldn’t know it was there except he’s been staring at that spot for hours.

“There you are…” he whispers under his breath. Lu Han refocuses his goggles, staring at the animal for any signs of changes, any abnormalities. “Xiumin, my sweet, sweet cat, you are looking good as always.” He sighs and puts down the goggles, trading them out in favor of his small sun-powered handbook which has been charging all day. “ Appearance , healthy,” he checks with the pen attachment. “ Weight , healthy, estimate fifty kilograms”

The hybrid is an abnormally large version of its relative, the non-hybrid wildcat which are smaller and customarily weigh no more than nine or ten kilograms.The hybrid though is larger, more in keeping to its human aspect of which few true men have ever seen. Lu Han in particular, really wants to see it shift. To get a picture of that form would not only win him praise and fame, but also a giant boost to his ego and to sate his curiosity, that part of him which lead Lu Han into the animal preservation career in the first place. Of all the horizons in the animal field, beholding the human appearance of a hybrid wildcat would be the absolute pinnacle.

Lu Han peeks back at the wildcat, ensuring it is still standing where it appeared. He snaps a few pictures to go along with his records, then picks up the handbook again.

“ Eyes, teeth , too far to tell. Intuition , cautious as always.”

The wildcat the Center named Xiumin, has yet to take another foot down the ravine.

“Come on, come on,” Lu Han chants softly, “come down, why don’t you, and let’s have a closer look.”

The closest he’s ever been to the creature was a distance of some ten or so meters. Close enough for the animal to smell the human hiding in the brush, and to retreat hastily away. Now Lu Han positions himself much much farther from the wildcat’s normal stalking grounds, and its nightly water spot.

Finally, the animal moves. Lu Han watches amazed, like he always does when the creature is in motion. Even at this slow pace, he’ll admit he’s pretty enamored. Like all of their breed, Xiumin’s coloring comes with sleek, mid-length sandy colored fur dotted with black speckles, and a striped tail. Longer than average legs, a long neck, thin face and tall ears, and it moves with all the grace of a feline, and then some.

“Yeah, yeah, there you go, you beauty,” says Lu Han, taking a few more pictures of the wildcat in action as it slinks down the the ravine towards the water hole. Before its wake smaller animals scatter and dash, but the wildcat must have fed recently because it gives none of them a second glance. Finally at the edge of the stream, it pauses and bends its head. Then, just before it takes a drink, its eyes shoot up.

Lu Han freezes. The wildcat is looking straight at him, though they are separated by a great distance. Its pale yellow eyes shine reflectively from the moonlight for just one second. Then, still watching Lu Han, it dips down and begins to drink.

By the time the wildcat moves away, Lu Han can hardly breathe. He inhales a huge breathe before putting a hand to his heart which has been silently pounding this entire time. He doesn’t fear for his life. Hybrid wildcats aren’t known to attack humans ever. On the other hand, he’s never had it notice him this intensely for such an extended period of time.

“Wow. Just, wow,” he talks to himself all the way back to his cabin on the edge of the reserve. His nerves are still tingling as he putters around the one room lodging, setting up his clothes for the morning which he’ll mostly sleep away.

“Magnificent. Just, magnificent.”

It’s been several years since Lu Han finished his masters degree in Hybrid Studies. Ever fascinated by the myriad of species whose natures duel between man and animal, he began as a boy by reading books, kids’ magazines, then videos, movies, internet and TV clips, anything really that focused on the great mystery of how these creatures existed. In school he slummed through just about every unrelated course, barely taking enough interest in biology and the affiliated sciences until he could apply for college and get onto the track for more specified hybrid ecology.

Then there were endless years again where all he learned were the basics. In between his junior and senior year, he managed to snag an internship cataloguing hundreds of interviews from over three dozen wolf packs both at home and abroad. It was exhilarating. Protected by International law after centuries of persecution and pogrom, most hybrid wolf packs had either assimilated into the greater population where their identity remained secret, or else lived on national land reserves given back with bland apology for the increase of their species.

He’d even had the occasion to meet and befriend a few of the city-dwellers during some of his post-grad activities. Jongdae for instance acted exactly the same as the human Lu Han. They met up for movie nights, snagged coffee or tea together in town whenever they had the time, stayed up late drinking beer talking about politics, philosophy, sports, and the latest hot person who happened to catch Jongdae’s interest; truth be told they spent more on the latter than any of those other topics, and that was totally fine.

Lu Han hasn’t seen the wolf now in almost six months since he’s been on the wildcat project. He misses Jongdae, treasuring their friendship, valuing too the insights he’d gleaned from Jongdae sharing small tidbits about the hybrid lifestyle. Lu Han isn’t too puffed up to think just knowing Jongdae alone is going to aid his mission tracking Xiumin through the wilderness, but every little bit helps.

'Even in the back of my mind, even when I couldn’t feel more human, when I’m putting on clothes, or making breakfast, even sometimes just while talking, I can feel it.’

‘Feel what?’

‘My other nature. A calling, the love of the earth. I want to prowl forever on four legs. I want to smell everything I can’t as a human. I want to see the world differently than when I am a human.’

‘That’s deep, man. Is there then another way to see the world, or is just an entirely different world?’

Jongdae had laughed. ‘You’re asking me? I have no idea because when I walk as a human, which is about 95% of the time, I can’t exactly recall those other thoughts, just the remnant feelings of them. I remember everything that happens of course. But… then again. When I walk as a wolf, I long to stand upright. I long for coffee and cooked meat and spices and entertainment, and conversation, the kind you can’t get from just skinship and nuzzling. I love my pack, but there’s a reason our kind lives the way we do. We have chosen to live more humanly than our brother packs. But, it’s still hard. It’s always hard. We’re neither one nor the other and yet we’ve got to live as both.’

It’s been two days since Lu Han’s seen the wildcat. Ever since the watering hole incident, which Lu Han chronicled later in excruciating detail, he’s been thinking about Jongdae. Does Xiumin have the same urges, the same desires? It’s impossible to make an accurate assumption because for one, Xiumin is a feline. Even as an animal he won’t be anything like Jongdae’s wolf. On the other hand… if as the Wild Hybrid Preservation Center, the WHPC, believes, Xiumin was orphaned as a young kitten, and has spent almost his entire existence as a wildcat, then how much of his human nature will he even understand? Or miss?

That’s one of Lu Han’s secondary missions. Again, something he doesn’t entirely have a lot of confidence over, but where confidence is lacking Lu Han still has hope. The wildcat project should culminate in his doctoral thesis. At the very least, he’ll leave with a PhD, and the world will know and understand more things about this most elusive of hybrid species when everything's said and done.

And so, around dusk Lu Han packs up his gear into his backpack, double checking along the way that he has enough water, snacks, and warm clothes to last the night. For lunch usually — Lu Han’s ‘breakfast’ — he makes sure to feed himself a semi-nice meal on the campfire stove outside his cabin, but for dinner… and indeed overnight, he slacks and eats mainly protein bars and other handy, portable food groups. He munches on one now on his way to the ravine, careful not to drop the wrapper anywhere on the ground.

It’s entirely too early for the wildcat when he approaches. He makes a little nest in the earth and camps out. Camera, night vision, the extra jacket ready to pull on for when the sun makes its final dip. An hour passes. Lu Han yawns silently. Something snaps in the distance, but as it’s too early for Xiumin to make an appearance, Lu Han doesn’t bother checking. He hums a few melodies softly in his head, mouthing the lyrics; eventually has to shrug his coat on over his sweatshirt.

He reaches left for his backpack when it happens.

In the brush not three meters away, two yellow eyes staring straight at him.

Lu Han flinches, barely catching himself from screaming and bolting from the spot. Instead, his jaw drops and his heart rate ratchets. He makes a silent gasp. Theoretically he has a utility grade knife in his bag which might double as a defense weapon, but he’d never get to it in time… Also, he’d never be able to hurt the animal, even unto death probably. Lu Han has family and an entire species already overpopulating the planet. But this world just has Xiumin.

Still, he takes a breath of relief when he realizes the wildcat isn’t about to pounce. In fact it’s lying beneath a low brush tree with its legs stretched out, tail fanning slowly up and down, head staring unmoving at Lu Han but otherwise… it’s as non-threatening a posture as there could be.

“What the hell?” says Lu Han quietly.

The wildcat yawns, then they resume their staring match.

Lu Han’s nose twitches. The animal’s whiskers mimic the same. Something akin to a belch from Lu Han’s earlier protein bar bubbles up from his throat. He swears the wildcat smirks.

“Uhm. Are you just going to sit there all night?” he asks it.

Not surprisingly, there’s no response. If their situation were reversed Lu Han would almost be inclined to say that the animal is in fact casually observing him!

“Okay, okay, we can do this.” Lu Han nods his head just to affirm his goals. “I see how it is. Sizing me up. Giving me a taste of my own medicine. Can we… try a little game perhaps? Hello, my name is Lu Han. I’ve been calling you Xiumin. Is that a good name? Do you like it? Xiumin? Hello? Kitty kitty?”

The wildcat looks casually away and yawns again.

“Right,” says Lu Han. “Not sure what that means but you clearly don’t care.”

As if on cue, the cat huffs loudly and stares back at Lu Han. Tail twitching, there’s a long moment where the two resume their staring contest. Five seconds, ten seconds, almost twenty… The wildcat huffs again and notices its tail. Another few seconds later, just as Lu Han is expecting it to attack its own appendage, the cat goes for his paw instead, giving it a thorough -down.

Ever so slowly, Lu Han reaches behind himself for the camera. If he’s quiet enough, if he’s lucky… Getting a picture like this so close without the effect of zoom would be amazing, especially when it’s staring right at him.

Fingers around the strap, he drags it towards him, eyes never leaving the wildcat in case he spooks him. The camera snags on a zipper of Lu Han’s jacket. Xiumin freezes. Lu Han catches his breath and tries to play it cool.

“Nothing wrong here, nothing going on,” he chants.

By the time he’s got the device in both hands, fingers deftly hitting the buttons to verify the correct settings, Lu Han is sure this is going to be good.

“One second, that’s all I need,” he says, bringing it to his eyes, aiming, preparing, about to click —

In a heartbeat, and well before he can get the shot he needs, the wildcat is upon him.

“Oh !” Lu Han goes flying backwards into the dirt, camera lost somewhere near his side. Faster than he could have anticipated, Xiumin pounces on his backpack, tail brushing Lu Han in the face, one paw accidentally trampling on his hip. With eyes half closed and his heart rate once again skyrocketing, Lu Han wonders if this is it. This is the moment where he dies, or is at least irrevocably mauled by a wildcat all because he stupidly wanted a picture. His fists close, body curled up protectively. Fur brushes by his side and …

He opens his eyes. The wildcat has pawed open Lu Han’s bag and… is sniffing at the food packs there. Lu Han could reach out and touch the animal, they’re so close. He doesn’t dare do it though. Instead, he watches incredulously as Xiumin noses some of his protein bars, pawing at others. And in a stretch of time which feels like hours and is probably only about twenty seconds, the wildcat suddenly declares its disinterest. Its mewling scowl echoes softly down the hill as, miraculously, it turns away, giving Lu Han one last practically scathing look. Another couple seconds later it’s disappeared into the brush.

Lu Han sits himself off and dusts the dirt from his side, back, and legs. Huffing softly he says, “Did it just… reject my favorite foods?”

The following day, when Lu Han finally wakes up and meanders outside to a high noon sun, back creaking as he stretches and takes in the hour, he almost stumbles on something outside his cabin.

It’s a dead hare, freshly caught probably a few hours ago, just lying there upon a rather flat stone like a present.

“Oh my god.”

“I’m telling you!” Lu Han shouts into his mobile phone, “I’m telling you, that rabbit was from the wildcat, I swear! Hello? Hello? Baekhyun, are you still there?”

Getting service this far out is almost impossible most days, but right now it seems to be possible.

Baekhyun’s voice comes back, a little scratchy but still present. “It’s got to be a coincidence, Lu Han. Wildcats aren’t exactly known for being accommodating. Probably that hare just met… an unfortunate accident and while… hopping home it died in front of your cabin.”

Lu Han snorts. Even to his ear, Baekhyun doesn’t sound convinced by his own story.

“Right,” Lu Han deadpans. “It just happened to meet an animal with the teeth marks of a fifty kilogram wildcat and die in front of my doorstep.”

Baekhyun snickers. The signal crackles and Lu Han misses what he says.

“What?”

“What?”

“I said…” Baekhyun finally crackles back in. “Did you eat it?!”

Lu Han scowls appallingly. “What? No way! Who knows how long it’d been there. That’s nasty!”

“So… you totally rejected its present. Rude, Lu Han. I’m serious.”

Lu Han sighs and scratches his nose. Technically speaking, Baekhyun is his superior at the WHPC. Though just five years older, it’s to Baekhyun Lu Han is supposed to report. Practically speaking, whenever they speak it’s friend to friend. Baekhyun’s professionalism is almost nil in most aspects. To Lu Han he’s a pain in the , though a very friendly one.

“Look, I took it inside. And, later on I’ll bury it.” Because what else is Lu Han supposed to do anyways? It’s hard enough telling this story out loud when privately, Lu Han wants to believe it’s a coincidence. He really does. The alternative is believing Xiumin, a thoroughly wild unpeopled hybrid wildcat, took some severe pity on Lu Han over his protein bars and actually caught and left his breakfast for Lu Han to share in.

How embarrassing.

It takes a moment to pull him out of his reveries and remember Baekhyun is still speaking to him. Earlier laughter aside, it sounds like this time he means business.

“Okay, let me get this straight. For months now you’ve been stalking Xiumin, only getting glimpses of him from a distance. He sees you one night, makes eye contact, runs away. The next night he creeps up on you, gives you the eye-down, inspects your food, then leaves you a meal. Lu Han, my man. You’re the man.”

“Uh huh,” Lu Han mumbles unhelpfully.

“I mean, that’s the ticket! Do you know how rare it is for a wildcat to even acknowledge human presence!? You made contact!”

“Technically it did,” Lu Han reminds him.

“Exactly! Look. This is great. This is awesome. Phenomenal, superb, pick your adjective. And as long as it doesn’t prove to be a fluke, Lu Han, you are now in a relationship with the only living wildcat in the entire Asian steppe!”

“You make it sound like we’re dating now,” says Lu Han unimpressed.

Baekhyun snorts. “For how rare an event this is, you might as well be. Now, give yourself a pat on the back, go eat something healthy for lunch, then go out and get that cat! ”