Chapter 7 : The Cat

Returning to the safety of the cave, Arthur's first instinct was to quench his thirst at the small pool of water. Satisfied, he then shifted his attention to the cave's entrance, which remained open and exposed. Despite the disguise left by his parents, he couldn't shake off the feeling of vulnerability in the face of potential dangers lurking outside. Determined to fortify his refuge, Arthur pondered various ideas before settling on the decision to block the entrance with rubble.

For the next hour, Arthur worked diligently, hauling rocks and debris to fortify the cave's opening. As the makeshift barricade took shape, he felt a sense of reassurance and safety settle within him. With the entrance secured to the best of his ability, he made his way back towards the pool of water, where he intended to rest and recharge.

Lying down on the cool ground, Arthur instinctively imitated the behaviors of cats he had observed back on Earth. He curled his tail around his body, providing a makeshift blanket that surprisingly proved to be quite comfortable. Exhaustion seeped through his body, and as sleep beckoned, he drifted away into a peaceful slumber, seeking respite in the land of dreams.

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With the first rays of the rising sun filtering into the cave, Arthur stirred awake. Adjusting to his new feline form. A faint recollection of an article he had read about feline behavior on Earth lingered in his mind, offering some understanding of his current wakefulness at daybreak. He realized that his sleep cycle seemed to have undergone a shift, aligning with the habits of cats known for their activity during sunrise and sunset.

Feeling a light pressure from his backside, Arthur recognized the urge to relieve himself. Deciding to unblock the cave's entrance for his morning routine, he began removing the makeshift barricade he had assembled the previous night. As he worked on the entrance, Arthur enabled the simulated machine, glancing at his energy meter. He recalled that his energy had dropped to 9 units during the encounter with the snake, but after absorbing 60 units from the snake, it should have been at 69 units.

However, to his surprise, the status screen displayed a total of 79 units of energy. Puzzled by this discrepancy, Arthur pondered about the source of the additional energy. His current theory was that he might have generated energy while sleeping, but he understood that he would need to confirm this theory during his next rest. With questions lingering in his mind, Arthur ventured out of the cave.

Before his urge to relieve himself reached an unbearable point, Arthur managed to venture forward for about an hour, away from the cave's vicinity. He was determined not to expose the location of his shelter. He did his best to find a suitable spot and hastily dug up a hole to fulfill his needs. After taking care of the task, he covered the hole with dirt to conceal any traces.

However, the discomfort lingered as he made his way back to the cave. Arthur couldn't shake the feeling of unease, sensing a lingering sense of dirtiness. His thoughts wandered to how cats managed to clean themselves in such situations, and the answer that came to mind, albeit revolting to him, was through licking. His human sensibilities vehemently rejected such an action, forcing him to improvise an alternative solution.

Choosing not to return to the cave just yet, Arthur sat on the ground, carefully wiping himself with the low grass around him. It wasn't an ideal method, but he felt it was the best he could do under the circumstances. After roughly 15 minutes of meticulous wiping, he finally felt that he had done enough to alleviate the discomfort. Relieved, he made his way back to the cave

Back in the safety of the cave, Arthur's first order of business was to quench his thirst, finding solace in the cool, clear water that washed away the lingering sense of dirtiness. With his immediate needs met, he sat on the cave floor, pondering his next course of action. Not feeling hungry and having ample water supply, his thoughts turned towards improving his living conditions. Making a fire to cook seemed tempting, but the risk of attracting attention with the smoke made it an unwise option.

Lost in a sense of purpose, Arthur finally settled on renovating his cave. Inspired by his previous experiences, he decided to construct a shower for himself. Though not a plumber, Arthur knew that his 'Simulation' ability allowed him to test and bring ideas to life. Confident in his capabilities, he set to work on creating a small shower to wash away the grime of the wild.

To focus fully on his simulation, Arthur closed the entrance of the cave, ensuring minimal distractions from the real world. Unlike his previous encounters with the snakes, where he had to maintain attention on both worlds, this time, he could immerse himself completely in the simulated space.

He began by crafting a translucent platform and a small pool of water similar to the one he had in reality. Experimentation ensued.

After about 20 minutes, Arthur made two significant discoveries. Firstly, his current energy reserves were inadequate for creating a full-fledged shower. Secondly, he realized that while his teeth and claws were valuable tools, they fell short when it came to crafting machinery, even simple ones.

With a change in focus, Arthur shifted his attention to creating cat-friendly tools that would better serve his needs. Unfortunately, the limitations of his energy reserves forced him to cut his research short. He had already consumed 20 units of his current 79 units of energy.

Realizing the importance of energy conservation, Arthur set a new goal for himself: to amass at least a couple hundred units of energy before embarking on further improvements to transform his cave into a more habitable and comfortable living space.

With a newfound sense of purpose and dreams of creating a better sanitary environment, Arthur unblocked the entrance of the cave and stepped out into the wild. Driven by the desire to amass the energy needed for his ambitious projects, he set forth on a hunting expedition.