> Gustav <

"Gustav! Come here for a moment."

The shout of his mother made Gustav cringe. She wanted something. He was sure of it. With a sigh, he paused Animal Crossing and put his Switch away. Then crawled out of the many pillows and plushies that littered his bed.

His room was quite unlike other boys. All in pastel colors. Filled with pictures of cats. Both real or drawn. In between were posters of catgirls from Manga or Anime. Women that had tails and ears of cats. Everything in his room was dedicated to the feline. If he was honest to himself he would call it an obsession. But Gustav wasn't honest. To him, it was simply a dedication to the cutest animal on Earth.

Stepping out of his room, he was greeted by white walls and boring furniture. The later courtesy of IKEA. Not kawaii. Gustav hated the somber look. Could use a few paw prints and a few cat stickers. But his mother would only lecture him and make him scrape it off.

The very same he found in the kitchen.

"Gustav, there you are. I forgot to buy onions for the stew. Can you hurry to the Supermarkt and get some?"

Despite her tone, Gustav knew it wasn't a question. Stinking onions. Who needed them anyway? But complaining wouldn't help.

"Sure."

"And hurry, Gustav. Don't get distracted again."

He waited just long enough to turn around before rolling his eyes. Gustav had a better reason for being fast. His new home in Animal Crossing was not cute enough yet. That had to be changed.

Throwing on a light jacket and slipping into shoes, Gustav was out a minute later. Thankfully the supermarket wasn't far when one lived in the city. Just a few blocks and-

"Kitty!"

Gustav spied a Tabby cat lounging on a nearby wall. At one he ran over and tried to pet her. That his outcry sounded a little girl didn't bother him anymore. At least now, in the summer break, when no one was around. At school, he was teased for it.

The cat leaned into his pets and Gustav was in heaven. If only he could have a cat at home, but his father was allergic. Just as Gustav switched to playfully scratching under the chin, the cat looked up and hissed. A moment later, she was gone. Jumped down from the wall, but on the other side.

"If it isn't the Sissy. Did I scare away your girlfriend?"

Gustav shuddered as he recognized the voice. Doris, the one person who bullied him at school the most. Turning around, he saw her walking up to him. Dressed in strappy heels, leggings, tight top, and a light cardigan. Of course, her face was decked out in one and a half make-up kits. She was one of those wannabe Instagram stars. Boasting that she already hat over a thousand followers.

"Fuck off, Doris."

He turned around and walked away. She could die, for all he cared. Not that he had such luck. He heard the clicking of her heels. It came closer. How he hated girls like her. All looks, no brain. Seduction and vapid posing her go-to tools.

"Make way, shorty."

She had caught up and shoved him into the bushes that line the sidewalk. Grumbling, Gustav scrambled up. It was not his fault that he had inherited the small frame and short legs of his mother.

Getting on his feet, Gustav brushed off a few leaves. Then looked up. Doris was walking away. Nearly at the next crossing. And beyond it-

"Kitty!"

A Calico cat was lounging on a nearby newspaper vending machine. And Doris was heading right for her. That couldn't end well. Gustav would but animal abuse past such a bitch. He had to save her. Gustav had to reach the cat first. At once, he started to sprint.

The pavement flew by. Doris, the crossing, and cat steadily came closer. It was time for revenge. Just as Doris was about to step foot on the crosswalk, Gustav barreled into her. Sending her into the bushes for a change. Another step brought him closer to the Calico.

The loud honk made Gustav look to the side. The screeching of breaks arrived his ears just a slip second before a white truck filled his entire vision.

A blink later, Gustav looked down on his body. There was no use for an ambulance anymore. It was time to move on. As if the thought was enough, Gustav floated higher. The earth grew smaller and around him, everything dimmed to an impenetrable black. It was not space. The sun was gone. No stars could be seen.

Except, there! A tiny dot of light. Steadily growing larger. Rushing towards him. A moment later, the light enveloped him.

>Marlin <

The rough stone beneath her was wet by her tears. They had lost. The forces of good and evil had clashed. The dark cult had won. Now, she was shackled by a heavy steel collar. Like the rest of her friends, comrades, and brethren. Lined up in the very unholy sanctum.

Through tears strained eyes, she looked up. Her eyes following up the steps that had hundreds of blood trails flowing down. Atop, an alter. But more gruesome was the pile of bodies behind it. Most dead. Some still alive, but bleeding out slowly.

"Arise, dark mistress," the head figure of the cult shouted for the hundredth time into the cavern. "Return to this world. Bath in the blood of our enemies. Quench your thirst on-"

The guy fell silent as a beam of light appeared on the altar. Not the dark black and with violet streaks that were usual to the cults dark magic. Instead, it was pale pink. The chants of the priests stopped and everyone held their breath and stared at the altar. Marlin was sure, this was the end of everything she loved.

From the light, a figure stepped. Tall. Lithe. Sexy. The epitome of female beauty.

The dark goddess had returned.

They were all doomed.

But then Marlin noticed it. Why was the dark goddess looking at her body as it was the first time seeing it? More importantly why had she the ears and tail of Marlin's brethren?

As if on cue, the dark goddess looked up. Her eyes only took in her surroundings before it fell on Marlin.

Then, in an utmost squeal of delight, the goddess pushed out one word: "KITTY!"

> Gustav <

Suddenly, Gustav was standing on cold stone. His body felt strange. Not his own. Confused, he looked down only to see breasts. Slender arms and legs. A waspish waist and a very feminine groin. He was a woman? And one of those oversexed ones he hated? Why?

Looking up, a nightmarish display unfolded before his eyes. Rows and rows of prisoners. Shackled and forced to bow down. Darkly robbed figures that held whips, but now hastily fell to their knees. Blood everywhere and-

"KITTY!"

The shout escaped his mouth involuntarily after a very girly squeal.

No, better. There, kneeling on the cold floor, was a cat-girl. Just like the ones in the posters on his walls. But why were they shackled and bloody?

"What is going on here?" escaped Gustav in a low growl.

"My dark goddess, you have returned."

Turning towards the voice, Gustav saw an old haggard man in a blood-stained black robe. His eyes shone with malice and hunger.

"She is not your goddess! She is ours."

Gustav witness one of the catgirls fight against her shackles to stand up.

"Goddes, look at your tail. Your ears. It is plain to see, you are one of us. My name is Marlin. Please hear my plea. Save my brethren and I will serve you forever."

His tail and ears? Gustav reached up but found no human ears. Instead, higher up the think fuzzy skin of feline ears. At the same time, his other hand found an appendage of fur sprouting from the tailbone. He was not just a woman, but a catgirl.

The old man stepped close. "Your maliciousness, ignore this vermin. They are beneath your station. You are evil incarnate. Prophecies declare your fate is to plunge this land in darkness."

"Look behind you," Marlin's shout rang out and Gustav did so on instinct.

Bodies. Hundreds of them. Corpses. Mutilated and broken. Dead catgirls everywhere. Involuntary, he hissed. The ears on his head folded back. The tail stood straight up. He didn't care anymore. That he was a woman now. In a strange new world no less. Gustav saw red. And then he could feel it. Claws extending from his fingertips.

"Good," he thought. "I will need them."

With a hiss that would make every cat proud, Gustav jumped on the man beside him. His claws rend flesh and bone. A moment later, Gustav moved on to the next victim. And then another. More and more.

> Marlin <

It had been two years since the massacre of the dark church. The arrival of Buffy Softpaws. As the goddess wanted to be called. Not that Marlin was sure that Buffy was divine. The sight of the massacre was still giving her the creeps. The army they failed to defeat reduced to blood and gore in just hours. But Buffy was on their side. At least for now. And it was Marlin's job to keep it that way.

She looked the last time in the mirror and had to involuntary shiver. Gone was her normal day to day clothes. Instead, she was decked out in an elaborate dress. Overloaded with silk and lace. Her skirt a monstrosity of layered petticoats. But the most ridiculous aspect was the giant bow on her head. She looked like a walking gift. And in a way, she was.

With a sigh, she turned around and nodded to the guard. The massive doors to Buffy Softpaws court opened and Marlin contorted her face into what she hoped was a convincing smile. With resolute steps, she started the long way to the throne of their savior.

Left and right, she saw others of her race. There were dozens on this world, but Buffy cared only for Marlin's. Calling them catgirls instead of their real name. The others were either decked out in dresses like Marlin or were half-naked. They all lounged around as if they hadn't a care in the world. An act. One that no one but Buffy bought.

Some even lay on shelves and other furniture. A display that delighted Buffy. She called it kawaii. A strange word that meant very cute or something like that.

At last, Marlin arrived before the throne. Now it was her moment to shine. To act. For the sake of all the races of this world. Not just her own. Never forgetting that this being before her was capable of murder and mayhem like no other.

> Gustav / Buffy Softpaw <

Buffy slouched in her throne. Her heart beating in delight as she saw her charges frolic around. Even after two years, she couldn't get enough of them. A world full of catgirls. It was a dream come true. And Buffy was their protector. A duty she took great pride in.

Just then, Marlin approached her throne. She was the first catgirl that Buffy had seen coming to this world. The first that had pledged allegiance to her. Buffy loved her for it. She was one of her favorites at her court.

"My goddess Softpaw," Marlin intoned after a curtsy that made Buffy's heart melt through cuteness. "I beg you for a moment of your time."

"Marlin-chan, nyah! How often do I have to tell you that you can call me Buffy? We are like, nyah, so close, right?"

"Certainly- Buffy." Marlin took a deep breath and then faced Buffy again. "I am sadly here to bring bad news. We found another holdout of the dark church. Deep in the desert on the eastern continent and-"

Buffy jumped out of her throne. "Not for long! Don't fear my dear Marlin-chan. Nyah, senpai Buffy will hunt those down for you."

Practically skipping with excitement, Buffy headed for the exit. She heard Marlin catching up to her from behind. Buffy was sure of it. They all depended on her. These catgirls were so cute.

By now she didn't care anymore that she had once been Gustav. A man. Well, boy. Didn't mind that she was a woman now. After all, she was a catgirl too. How kawaii was that? If only she knew who had sent her here instead of the dark goddess the cult had expected. Buffy would thank them so-

Oh, how cute! Buffy spied a catgirl play with a ball of yarn. Her heart melted at this display of cuteness. The baddies could wait a moment. She just had to see this.

The end.