by Heidi Fisk
EA R S A N D TA I L RE Q U I R E D: BU N D L E
By Heidi Fisk
Copyright © 2016 byHeidi Fisk All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations em- bodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organiza- tions, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
C O N T E N T S
1. What a Time to be Alive
2. She’s Still Here
3. A Job Problem
4. What Would a Demon Do?
5. Two Months
6. It’s a Mystery
7. Don’t you remember me? 8. Are you Schwarz?
1
What a time to be alive.
I grumbled slightly before yawning, the stench of last night's meal was still in the air before I sighed. My apartment was a mess, but that was to be expected. I dragged myself out of my bed before my hand gripped my phone.
It was half-past ten as I rubbed my eyes. I sighed before finally getting up. I didn't have work today as I dragged myself to my bathroom. It was small and unimpressive just like the rest of the apartment. There was a small shower in the corner and items such as toothpaste and shaving cream surrounded the sink.
I looked into the mirror before letting shrugging. I didn't need to shave yet as I ran my hand through my hair. Brown and mop-like was probably the best way one would describe it, "great, I probably should get it cut,"
I slowly started to brush my teeth and entered the shower. After a few minutes, I walked out of the shower with a towel around my waist. I scratched my head before going to the corner of my room and pulling out a shirt and a pair of pants and underwear from my dresser.
It was a t-shirt, it was the middle of summer, and despite the building having decent AC, it was still far too warm to even be thinking about wearing a long sleeve.
"Bah, here I am thinking about clothes on a day like this..." I jumped on the couch and turned on my television. I looked around finally noticing how cramp my small apartment was.
It was only four rooms. The main room, the kitchen, a small bedroom and a bathroom, it was fit for two people at max. There wasn't much use complaining about it however as I dug my hand into my cheek and flipped through the channels.
Right as I was getting settled in, I heard a familiar tap at my window. I turned my head to see a black cat stand on the window sill. It's large yellow eyes looking at me as it moved its paw continuing tapping the glass.
"You again," I smiled to myself as I got up from my seat as I slowly lifted the window up as the feline slid right in. It stretched slightly digging its claws into the carpet before it jumped onto my couch.
"Geeze you're kind of aggressive," I sighed, I knew the cat for around a month. At least I assumed it was the same cat. I noticed it outside of my window once and gave it some food. It never stopped coming since then.
I was tempted to just let it stay. The apartments I was staying in didn't have anything against pets, and it could be fun. "So, anything you're interested in watching?"
The creature just licked its paw as I sighed to myself. Here I was just talking to a cat. I probably needed to get out more.
I just turned to a random channel as the creature turned its attention to the television just watching it. It was strange, while most animals were distracted by TV, rarely would they go out of there way to sit down and watch an entire show.
I just leaned my head back and stared at the ceiling. What was I going to do today? What was I going to eat? What was I going to say? I don't know why these questions constantly popped into my head, but it happened quite often when I was alone.
"Maybe I should call Jeff..." I mumbled to myself as I felt an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. I was hungry as I instinctively got up from my seat and walked over to the fridge. I groaned at my own stupidity and lack of selection.
Only tuna and cereal was left as I sighed. I was just happy that I had some milk left as I took out both the box for me and the can for the cat as I opened it over the sink before placing it on the ground in the kitchen. I noticed the cat's nose twitch before it jumped down off of the couch and walked towards the can.
It casually started eating as I made my bowl of cereal and began to eat myself. There was a thick stench of tuna stuck in the apartment, perhaps that was the reason why the cat kept coming back.
After we finished eating, we sat back down and continued to watch television. It was kind of weird thinking about it as I looked over at the cat, my eyes narrowed as the cat eyes wandered over to me.
I held my breath for a moment as I frowned, "hey...my name is Joseph..." I lowered my head to meet the cat at eye level. I was probably looking like an absolute fool as the cat continued to stare at me tilting its head ever so slightly.
"Hey, you can stay here as long as you want alright?" I paused for a moment as the cat merely gave a small purr. Cats were weird. Then again, cat owners tended to be just as strange.
As the day passed my legs slowly started to rest on the other end of the couch as the cat jumped onto my chest. It probably wasn't hygienic to just let a stray cat stay around your apartment, "we probably going to have to get you washed or something,"
I had pets before this, however, would be the first one I picked up on a whim. I would have to think of a name and make sure it is appropriately trained among other things. Thinking about it, it was going to be a such a pain.
"Man, whatever...I'll think about it later," I yawned as I closed my eyes. Despite it only having been two hours since I awoken, I was already tired again for some odd reason. I slowly closed my eyes preparing to take a short nap as the feline on my chest followed.
I felt my limbs grow heavy as my breathing slowed. My mind wandered as I dreamed, not thinking about anything. Still, while sleeping, I felt the weight on my chest growing larger and larger. Perhaps the cat was heavier than I thought as I mumbled something as I forced my eyes open.
"Huh?" I felt hair touching my neck for a moment as my eyes refocused. It was a girl, her body rubbing up against mine, large yellow eyes staring straight at me as she smiled. I noticed something odd located on her head.
A pair of cat ears was swaying ever so slightly as I rubbed my face. This had to be a dream, most likely due to repressed sexual desires and poor eating habits. The girl giggled slightly before leaning on my chest.
"No take backs alright! You said I could stay here as long as possible remember?" she had a somewhat playful voice. It was somewhat soothing as I tried to lean up, despite being a dream I could feel my body aching slightly.
I was thinking about what I could say to her. It was weird talking to a dream person, especially a dream cat person as my brain was muddled. "Um, how am I supposed to reply to your dream girl?"
Probably not the most natural of responses as the cat girl glared at me for a moment. She brushed her long black hair to the side as her eyes narrowed for a moment before her lips curled into a catlike smile.
"If you think this is a dream...then you won't mind if I do this to you..." she leaned in as our lips met. There was a moment of silence as I felt a taste enter my mouth an odd taste...an unpleasant taste.
"Gah, that's nasty!" I nearly spat as the cat girl flinched before her face turned a bright red. "Oh...I guess I haven't been keeping up with my hygiene lately huh, s-sorry!" She instantly jumped off of my body before smelling herself. She then cringed before rushing into my bathroom and slamming the door.
I was left both confused and somewhat bemused. Still, this was a lucid dream as I sat on the couch thinking. Cats can't turn into women. I knew that as a fact. I was slowly started to doubt if it was a dream at all.
"Well...I guess there is one way to check," I placed the tip of my thumb in my mouth as I bit down on it. I waited for a moment as I felt a sharp pain in my hand. It was slowly dawning on me. This wasn't a dream at all as I felt my heart skip a beat for a moment.
"W-wait, there is a naked girl in my apartment," I mean, I didn't mind that, but it was still somewhat jarring. I quickly shook my head as I heard the shower starting to run in the bathroom as I crossed my legs on the couch. I waited for a moment, I mean what else could I have done? Barge into the bathroom while she was probably taking a shower?
"Okay, calm down, just think this through..." I slowly recalled the events that lead me to such an odd situation before shaking my head. There had to be a way to start the conversation without making it sound downright bizarre.
I waited for a few minutes. She was most likely giving herself the works. I knew if I were in a similar situation I would have too. After what seemed like thirty minutes the bathroom door opened as steam came streaming out and into the kitchen.
The woman let out a massive sigh as she stretched. The only thing that was attached to her body was a towel that covered her breast ever so slightly. The ears that were once sticking straight up were now damp and drooping as I noticed another feature.
A tail, there was a thin black tail coming from the back of her body. It was moving ever so slightly as I grumbled. It was moving far too naturally for it to be a fake. Still, I couldn't help but be skeptical of the whole.
"D-did Jeff send you to play a trick on me or something," perhaps it was a big prank. Things were moving a bit too fast for my taste as the girl quietly tapped her lip for a moment.
"Jeff...that's your friend right? Never met him, and don't know him." It was an unexpectedly blunt answer as I felt my leg starting to shake for a moment. The cat girl let out a yawn before laying casually on my couch again. This time her legs were outstretched across my lap. I could see all of her body perfectly as I grumbled to myself.
I didn't know if she was enjoying the attention or not as she chuckled. "What's wrong, is me being naked bothering you~" her lips curled once again as I scoffed.
"Whatever, I can't stop you anyway...just, who are you anyway?"
"What do you mean, you've known me for months," she giggled as my eyes narrowed.
"Even...even if you were that cat, that doesn't answer my question. What is your name?"
She looked at me for a moment as if she was deciding if she should tell me or not. "I don't have one. You can rename me if you want..." I held my breath for a moment, it was pretty obvious she has or at least had a name at one point, but she didn't want to tell me for some reason. Still, I wasn't going to press the matter any further than I had too, plus it might have been a sore subject.
"Um, how about I call you Bella from now on?" That was the name I was going to use if the cat was a girl anyway. Still, I didn't find it fun to be responsible for naming another person...even if it was a weird cat person.
"Boo, everyone uses that name for cats, can't you think of something more original?"
"Being really picky for someone who just brought this up out of nowhere..."
I felt her heel dig into my leg a bit as my eye twitched. It wasn't painful, but it got my attention.
"Fine..." I looked into my brain for a moment. Thinking of something that would suit her taste for the time being.
"How about, Schwarz? It means black in German," "Oh, something artsy, I like it!" she smiled as my eyes narrowed. She was a kind of free spirit, before sighing. I once again leaned my head onto the back of the couch before my eyes started to wander back to Schwarz.
My face turned somewhat red. I noticed even the lower part of her body was completely exposed. In the shock and excitement, I wasn't even really paying attention to her as Schwarz tilted her head before chuckling again.
She slowly crawled towards me, her ears perking up as she placed her arms on my shoulder. She then looked down at my crotch area before trying to hold back a laugh.
"Oh wow, I don't know if I should be shocked that it's a decent size or laugh at you for getting one so easily!"
"Shut it...when are you leaving anyway?"
"Huh?" this time it was an honestly confused sound coming from her lips as I restated my question. "I mean, you're not planning on staying here right?" Perhaps I was over the awareness of having a girl with a function tail in my room, but there was barely enough space for me, let alone two people.
"Of course I am! Didn't you say I could stay as long as I wanted? You promised right? You're not a liar are you?" My eye twitched, I did promise that didn't I? I was about to reply again as I noticed Schwarz starting to pout, her bottom lip quivering as her eyes grew wide. It was as if she was about to cry as I bit my finger. I knew she was playing me, that much was obvious...yet.
"Fine, you can stay with me, but try not to cause too much of a scene alright?" Schwarz cheered as she hugged me before kissing me on the cheek. I mean, the basics were finished at least for now, I personally still had plenty of questions for her.
"So, what are we going to watch now?!" "That's what you're worried about?" I groaned I wanted to just fall into bed and sleep the day away. Though considering how much I slept before this point that was most likely impossible.
"Whatever you want, just...put on some clothes first," I was trying my best not to be distracted by her as Schwarz placed her hands on her hips before laughing again.
"Alright, I teased you enough, plus I'm not ready to do 'that' with you yet..." she laughed as she walked towards my dresser and dug into it. She pulled out a large t-shirt as she put it on. She didn't even bother to try to find any underwear for it.
"Ah...I guess this is fine," she seemed happy with just stealing my clothes as I shrugged. It was better than having her walk around naked at the very least. Plus it seemed that she wasn't entirely oblivious about how things worked.
"So, like I said what are we going to watch? I don't like anything scary..." I was rather indifferent at the moment so I just turned to something I thought she might like. I was still trying to wrap my head around what was happening today. Perhaps it was all simply an illusion that, or perhaps something I ate was bad and this was just a dying fever dream.
"Yeah, maybe when today is over and I wake up tomorrow she will be a normal cat..."
"Hmm, what are you mumbling to yourself?"
"Oh nothing really," "So about our sleeping arrangements...I will be taking the bed right? Unless you don't mind sleeping in the same bed." Schwarz winked at me, however this was one thing I would not budge on.
"Yeah, no, you're sleeping on the couch...my bed is my own. Plus even if I wanted to share with you, it would be pretty awkward for two people to actually sleep in it together,"
"Boo, fine...I guess chivalry really is dead," Schwarz mumbled to herself angrily as I felt her tail brush up against me.
I couldn't get over it, no matter how natural I acted with her I couldn't get over the fact that she had cat ears and a tail. I was still trying to wrap my head around if this was actually reality as I coughed slightly.
"So what are you anyway?"
"A cat..." she replied bluntly as my eye twitched. Then something slowly entered my head.
"W-wait, are you saying all cats can transform into people?!"
A moment of silence as Schwarz laughed. "Man, and you were doing such a good job at making yourself look smart," she giggled before she continued. "I am a cat monster, but not a demon...it's hard to explain,"
"Wait...demons are real?!" That was another shock to me as Schwarz frowned. "Well, of course they are real, but they are really rare. I doubt you're ever going to meet one in your life, so it's best you completely forget about it, now to get back on the subject of me..."
Sch
warz coughed slightly, "I am a cat monster that can change forms freely. Believe it or not I actually prefer this form to the form of a cat, but you know a person with cat ears and a tail isn't particularly normal to you humans,"
Couldn't really argue with that, still I wondered. "Why did you decide to show this to my, why show any of this to me?"
"Well...you live alone and," Schwarz paused for a moment and gained a huge grin. "You're a really nice guy!" I kind of wanted the argue that point, not because I thought I was a bad person or anything like that, but the fact that Schwarz barely knew me. "Hey, we've only knew each other for a couple of months and this is the first time we are having a conversation at all. Hell, an hour ago I thought you were just a stray cat,"
"I am a stray cat..." "That's not the point! What I'm saying is, you shouldn't go around trusting people randomly..." I sounded like my dad, which almost made me throw up a little in my mouth.
"Oh come on, anyone who feeds a stray cat can't be bad!"
My eyes narrowed, Schwarz had no right to call anyone stupid with that attitude. "...What's with that look," Schwarz's nose wiggled slightly before she pouted again. "I bet you're thinking about something pretty rude right now,"
"No way, what are you talking about?" I tried to hold back a laugh as she crossed her arms and turned up the television. I assumed she was going to ignore me for the time being, which was fine by me. It gave me plenty of time to think about what I was going to do next. If she was going to be staying here, I had a bit less freedom to do what I wanted.
The day dragged on like usual. It seemed that she wasn't interested in much besides watching television. I was tempted to ask if she had any hobbies or wanted to do something else, but by the time that even started to enter my head, it had gotten dark.
"What do you want for dinner?" My gaze shifted to Schwarz as she looked at me for a moment before shrugging.
"Tuna is fine." "Um, we don't have any tuna left. I was talking about ordering out," I added. There wasn't any more food in the fridge, and I wasn't planning on going shopping until my weekend was finished. We were probably going to be eating like this for the next two days.
