Chapter 1 - Finding A Feline Friend

Chihiro stood in the forest. She heard someone coming towards her. She looked around and saw Haku. Haku looked the same as Chihiro remembered him, except that he now had the tail and ears of a tabby cat.
"Hey, Chihiro," Haku said.
"Hey, Haku," Chihiro replied. "Uh…why do you have a cat’s tail and ears?" Haku’s cat ears lowered.
"There was some kind of magical accident," Haku told her. "It was like a small explosion of magic. I was caught in the middle of it. Now, I’m like this," His cat ears were drooping. That showed that he didn’t like talking about this. The tip of his tail twitched from side to side. It showed that he was uncomfortable. Chihiro noticed that his hands were changing into cat’s paws. Then, she and Haku walked through the streets. Some people stared at Haku. Others whispered mean things about him to their friends. Women with their young children ushered their children away, looking back at Haku with fear in their eyes.
"What is that creature doing here?" A woman asked. She said ‘creature’ as if it were a curse word. Tears filled Haku’s eyes. Chihiro noticed this and glared at the woman.
"Look what you’ve done," She said angrily. "You’ve hurt his feelings," Tears were streaming silently down Haku’s face. Then, Haku ran. Chihiro was shocked for a few minutes. Then, she ran after Haku. She looked around for him. After a while, she found him in an alley. Haku was crying. Chihiro sat beside him and put her arm around his shoulders. Haku looked at her. Chihiro felt really sorry for him.
"Maybe I shouldn’t go out in daylight," Haku said. "Maybe I should just go out at night," Chihiro was silent for a moment. Then, she had an idea. She told Haku about her plan. Haku nodded when she had finished.
"Sounds good to me," He stated. He grinned. Chihiro noticed that his teeth were changing into cat’s teeth. Fifteen minutes later, Chihiro walked into her house. Haku followed her, except he was wearing a black cloak with the hood pulled up over his head. His cat ears were covered. So was his tail. Haku kept his hands hidden under his cloak.
"Chihiro," Her mother said. "Who is that wearing that cloak?" Chihiro looked at Haku. Then, she noticed that his tail was showing at the bottom of his cloak.
"The better question would be, 'What is that wearing that cloak?'" Chihiro's father interjected. He walked over to Haku and pulled Haku's hood down. Haku's cat ears were revealed. Haku looked at Chihiro's parents. He took off his cloak. Chihiro took it from him. Haku's ears drooped sadly.
"I wish I knew how to explain this," He said. "But I don't," Chihiro's parents stared at Haku. The way they saw him, he was half human and half cat. They didn't trust him at all. Just then, Chihiro's mother fainted from shock. Chihiro's father pulled out a gun and aimed it at Haku's chest, right at his heart. Chihiro gasped. Haku sighed and closed his eyes. He hadn't seen the gun. Then, Chihiro's father prepared to shoot. Haku heard the click of the gun. His ears pricked up alertly and he opened his eyes. He looked at Chihiro's father. His eyes widened in fear.
"Dad!" Chihiro cried. "Don't shoot him. Please don't shoot Haku,"
"I don't know if this thing is human or animal, or if it's both," Her father replied. "If I kill it, it won't put up a fight when scientists study it to find out what it is,"
"You're going to let a bunch of scientists study Haku, experiment on him, and run all sorts of tests on him?" Chihiro asked. Her father nodded.
"I won't put up a fight," Haku said quickly. "Just please don't shoot me," Chihiro's father lowered the gun. Then, he walked over to the phone and began dialing the number for the Science Institute. Half an hour later, three scientists came into the house. When they saw Haku, one of them exclaimed,
"Oh, jeez! What in the name of Ninigi is that thing?" Haku's ears drooped, showing that he was ashamed of himself.
"It's half human and half cat," Another scientist said.
"It could be the missing link between humans and animals,"
Said the third scientist. The three scientists walked towards Haku. Chihiro could tell that Haku was scared. Two of the scientists grabbed Haku's arms. Haku began shaking in fear. The third scientist took out a hypodermic needle. He slid the needle into Haku's right arm and injected some kind of liquid into Haku. Haku fell limp in the scientists' grip. Chihiro realized what had happened. The scientist had just sedated Haku with a tranquilizer shot.

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