01x01 - The Cat and the Dragon

[bunniefuu]

The royal family of this country

has been powerful mages for generations.

One day, a dragon
suddenly descended on the royal capital.

Prepare to attack!

Radiant Lightning!

How is this possible?
It's completely unscathed.

The people who witnessed this
fell into despair and fear.

They thought the country was doomed.

However, the dragon
only left a warning for the people.

Many years ago, deep in the forest

[THE CAT AND THE DRAGON]
where fierce beasts, magical creatures,

and spirits roam,

a very young female fire-breathing dragon

descended into a secluded cave.

She was a pregnant mother cat.

She was also a smart cat

known as a Cat-Sith living in this forest.

This cave is quite nice.

It's warm,

and there are plenty of mice nearby.

Most importantly, there are no enemies.

Gosh.

I don't sense any danger from him.

Everyone, you have
another little brother now.

I've raised kittens
from other cats before,

and even the young of magical creatures.

I wonder what this child will be like
when he grows up.

Watch closely. You should learn this too.

The Cat-Sith race is not only smart

but can also use all kinds of magic.

The magic you use seems
a bit different from everyone else's.

Children, stay quiet.

Mom, what's that?

It's my first time seeing such a creature.

That's a human.

- A human?
- A human?

Humans named this forest Novice Forest.

They sometimes come here to hunt mice.

Humans are creatures
with very distinct personalities.

Some humans are very kind,

but there are also extremely cruel ones.

Some are even stronger than bears.

- Stronger than a bear?
- Stronger than a bear?

And to humans,

we Cat-Siths are very valuable prey.

We must remember their scent.

Yes, we have to be careful
not to encounter them in the forest.

This should be fine now.

Before long,

these children
will be able to venture out.

A few days later…

Mom?

What's happening to your body?

Mom's body is disappearing.

- Mom!
- Mom!

This must be human summoning magic.

How can this be?

Mom, please don't go!

Mom!

You are all excellent hunters now.

You can survive even if you are apart.

But this forest is very dangerous.

When necessary, work together
to drive away your enemies.

As long as you live in this forest,

you may encounter your siblings one day.

If they recognize my scent,

they will surely take good care of you.

I hope you all stay healthy forever.

My dear children,

you are all my pride and joy.

- Mom!
- Mom!

As time passed,

the older brothers
and sisters left the nest.

Only the dragon remains behind,
living alone in the cave

where he once lived
with his mom and family.

Sister?

I'm back.

This is my youngest brother.

He really is your brother.

Right?

I told you. Keep your head low.

If your whiskers can't fit through,
your shoulders won't either.

Even if you're excited to see prey,

don't let your tail stick up.

You'll be spotted.

Those are humans.

Never go near them.

- Okay.
- Okay.

Bye, Uncle!

Goodbye.

Take care.

She has

the same scent as my brothers.

Hello, nice to meet you.

Hello.

Well, I'd like
to have my kittens in this cave.

Have kittens?

My dad said

if I couldn't find a place to give birth,

I could come to this cave.

There's a cat here with big wings.

He's my dad's brother.

I can count on him.

As the seasons changed,

the growing dragon
acquired powerful magic.

He could even talk to spirits
playing in nature.

I'm not a cat?

That's how it is.

So I'm not a cat

but a different kind of creature
from everyone else.

I see.

Enough about that, Uncle.

Keep teaching us magic.

Why?

Do humans want to eat these cats?

They don't want to eat them.

They k*ll Cat-Siths just for their fur.

If it were for food, I could accept it.

After all, to survive,

we also k*ll other creatures.

However,

I'm the dragon who protects the cat race.

The adventurers who came
to the forest to k*ll cats

are all burned to death by me.

If anyone comes to k*ll cats again,

I'll make sure everyone in this town

suffers the same fate
as those adventurers.

Prepare to attack!

Radiant Lightning!

Vile creatures like humans…

Shouldn't I burn them all away?

This scent is…

Some humans are kind too.

I'll say it again.

Don't k*ll the cats in the forest.

Except for food or self-defense,

I won't allow you to k*ll them
for any other reason.

I'm the dragon who protects the cat race.

When you think of k*lling a cat,

remember how terrifying I am!

And so, the dragon returned to the forest.

Many years have passed since then.

Good night, Your Highness.

Good night, Granny.

Blazing Fire!

Blazing Fire!

Blazing Fire.

Burn.

Burn!

I still can't do it.

I haven't succeeded even once.

I heard the First Prince's
magical power is naturally weak.

If he wants to succeed the throne,

he must put in a great deal of effort.

His Majesty must be very worried.

I can't give up.

Blazing Fire!

Are you cheering for me?

Where did you come from?

There shouldn't be any cats in the castle.

Could you be a cat from the forest?

If a cat from the forest
wanders into the capital,

it must be carefully returned
to the forest.

If you hurt it or k*ll it,

the Imperial Dragon
will come to this town again.

This time, it'll surely raze
this place to the ground.

Are you lost?

Can you find your way back
to the forest alone?

It's gone. Did it go back to the forest?

Hi, you're here again.

Blazing Fire!

Blazing Fire!

I did it!

Thank you.

From that day on,

a cat would stay by
the prince's side every night,

quietly watching him practice magic.

After spending a long time together,

the prince and the cat
finally opened their hearts to each other

and gradually became able to converse.

Let's eat together.

Thank you.

I brought some snacks
from the kitchen too.

You can have the last piece.

Let's split it.

Mr. Cat from the forest,

you're really good at magic.

I'll practice hard too.

One day, I'll be as great as you.

A cat from the forest. Is it a Cat-Sith?

Your Majesty, what should we do now?

You're friends, right?

Yes.

You didn't force it to stay here, did you?

No.

In that past incident,

although the Imperial Dragon
had the power to destroy us,

it still gave us a chance
to turn over a new leaf.

I don't think it'd indiscriminately burn

our kingdom to the ground.

But…

It's a dragon!

It's the legendary Imperial Dragon!

Everyone, stand back.

Hey, is there anyone who can understand
the Cat-Sith's language?

Yes, I know a little.

I want to teach magic to the human child.

I was wondering why you left the forest
and came to a human town.

That child is the prince
of this kingdom, right?

Yes.

Even though he has been practicing hard,

he still can't learn it at all.

Human magic is different
from the magic you taught us, Uncle.

It's too unstable.

No!

Didn't I tell you
that humans are dangerous?

That child isn't dangerous.

We're already friends.

Your Highness!

Prince, it's dangerous to get so close.

Mr. Cat.

This is the boy.

Uncle, didn't you tell us

to cherish our friends?

Well…

If I teach him magic,

when he becomes a great king,

he might be grateful to us

and protect the cat race even more.

Fine. I'll go ask the human king.

If he agrees, then it's fine.

But if he doesn't, you must give up.

Yes! You're so reasonable.

Shapeshift.

Cat Form.

I want to see the king.

Just tell him

I'm the dragon who burned the soldiers.

He should know who I am.

It can speak the human tongue?

Got it.

King of humans.

Nice to meet you.

I'm the dragon who protects
the cat race of the forest.

Lord Imperial Dragon, nice to meet you.

I am the king of this country.

My son

seems to have been befriended
by one of the cats you protect.

I have taught many children
hunting skills and magic.

That kitten is one of them.

For some reason,

he seems to have become
friends with the prince.

He even said he wants
to teach his friend magic.

If you agree, I'll let him stay here.

But Lord Imperial Dragon,

the magic you taught those cats

wouldn't be an exaggeration
to call it the ultimate secret of magic.

If he teaches it to my son,

it's essentially like teaching it
to my kingdom.

It doesn't matter.

That's merely magic
I learned from the spirits.

As long as you can speak with spirits,

anyone can learn magic of that level.

Magic from spirits is a true secret art.

It's enough to shift
the balance of power between nations.

And yet, he…

Lord Imperial Dragon.

What do you mean by Imperial Dragon?

I'm a fire-breathing dragon,
not an Imperial Dragon.

Imperial Dragon means
the emperor of all dragons.

It's how humans address
powerful and noble dragons out of respect.

That's a bit of an exaggeration.

If I must have such a title,

wouldn't Cat-Dragon be more fitting?

After all, I have been raised

as a cat since the day I was born.

I offer you my respect then,

Lord Cat-Dragon.

And so,

the prince learned magic from the cat.

When he became a king,

he passed that magic on to his people.

From then on,
whenever a royal child was born,

the cats of the forest
would visit the royal capital.

Once a cat befriended
a prince or princess,

they'd teach them magic

and remain by their side.

Thus, the people of this kingdom

never harmed a cat again.

Humans protect the forest cats,

and the cats teach humans magic.

As for the dragon living in the forest,

even today, he continues

to teach the kittens
hunting skills and magic.

[THE MOTHER CAT AND THE GIRL]

[THE THREE-DAY FESTIVAL
ENDS WITH A DISPLAY OF FIREWORKS]

[THE NIGHT SKY, ONCE LIT BY MAGIC,
NOW HOLDS ONLY THE MOON AND STARS]

[ATOP THE CLOCK TOWER,
MR. WING GAZES AT THE SKY.]

[HE HATES HUMANS, HATES THE FESTIVAL,
AND SEES IT AS A FARCE.]

[TO BE CONTINUED]