Miao and Mankind

Weeks went by, and slowly the villagers gathered up enough courage to see Miao in her weakened state. Some of the men asked to be taught to hunt, with no success. The women pleaded with her, to no avail. The children hid behind their mothers, too scared to look her in her yellow eyes. But Noi and Noia were brave children, and did not hide behind their mother, instead they snuck into Miao’s clearing one night and stood as close as they could get without being in reach of her sharp claws. 

“Great Miao,” Noia said, “We see you have grown weak without food or water. Why do you refuse what we offer you?” 

“Because I am no kitten that needs to be taken care of. I am the greatest huntress that has ever lived and I’d rather starve than be beholden to another.” 

“But don’t you see,” Noi replied, “that is how our father feels? He wants to feel like a man and not a kitten.” 

“He is no kitten. He is a fool who could never be taught. Kittens can learn to hunt, but he is a full-grown cat without claws.” 

The children puzzled over that for a moment before Noia asked, “We are still young, Miao, like kittens. Could you teach us to hunt? Then we could free you.” 

“But you still have no claws or sharp teeth. And you cannot climb or see in the dark.” 

Noi puffed out his chest and said, “I watched you climb that tree over and over these last few weeks and now I can climb as well as you. No man can outclimb me.” He raced up the nearest tree, quick as a cat, and crouched on a branch. "And my teeth may not be sharp, but they are strong."

“And I have sharpened my nails to points using a rough stone so now my claws are as sharp as yours.” She sliced at the tree trunk, leaving a sharp gouge behind. "And what my eyes can't see, my ears can hear and my mind can make sense of."

Miao’s yellow eyes flashed gold and she grinned a deadly grin. “That is impressive, kittens. But I cannot teach you while I’m tied up. I must be free.” 

The children looked at each other, and Noia nodded solemnly at Noi. He approached slowly, and heard a rumbling coming from Miao’s chest. He was afraid that a furnace burned inside her and she was about to swallow him whole, but he did not show his fear. She turned to the side to let him untie her bonds, and when his hands made contact with her fur, she rumbled louder. As the knots came loose, she shook her body free and stretched deeply, remaining low in a bow. “Climb on my back, kittens, and we shall hunt.” The two climbed aboard her soft but powerful back, and they hunted all through the night. 

The next day, Joko went with food and water to feed Miao and found the ropes limp on the ground. He roared in frustration and threw the bowl of water to the ground. Wefa came running, frantic to tell him that Noi and Noia were gone. They embraced in the clearing, holding each other, fearing that Miao had escaped and taken their children as punishment. 

At that moment, the pair of children emerged from the brush, hair wild and full of twigs, fresh blood on their faces. Wefa ran to embrace her children, and Joko stood still in shock.

“Where have you been, my children? And where is Miao?” 

“We freed her, father. And in her gratitude, she taught us to hunt.” Noia lifted a bloody corpse she had been dragging, and her mother’s eyes widened. 

Over the next several months, Miao taught the two children to hunt, and they fed their village until Miao said she had taught them all she knew and it was their turn to become the teachers. They returned to their tribe, which had set up a more permanent location in the clearing where Miao had first been trapped. The men of the tribe wanted to be taught to hunt, but Noi and Noia refused, saying that only kittens could learn. So they set about teaching the young children of the village how to hunt at night, and in the morning, their parents woke to find the spoils of their hunt on their front doorsteps. 

Many years later, after Joko and Wefa had died, and Noi and Noia grew old themselves, Miao returned to the village. 

“Hello kittens.”

“Hello Miao. We are far from kittens these days. We have grown old and tired and can no longer hunt,” Noi said with a sigh. 

“But we have many kittens of our own who hunt for us,” Noia said with a smile. 

Miao nodded. “That is the way of it,” she said. “But you could hunt with me again. In fact, you could hunt with me forever if you wished.” 

Noi and Noia looked surprised. “But how?” 

“We cats have our ways. Many cats have nine lives, but I’ve lived many more than that. If you accept my offer, you could live as many lives as you wish.” 

Noi was eager to hunt again, but Noia paused, looking sadly back at the village. “What about our children? Our kittens? And their kittens? What will they do without us?” 

“Once you make the change, you can go wherever you wish. If your wish is to stay here, or hunt with me, that is your choice.” 

With that, Noi and Noia followed Miao into the forest. A few hours later, a tiny black cat, and a fluffy white cat emerged, heads held high, back into the clearing with their nightly catch still wriggling in their jaws.