Cheshire

The not cat

Created on Midjourney

Cheshire’s humans had so named him because of his penchant for draping himself over the video screen, such that only his head and tail were visible, though his much smaller body did sit below. He found it all rather amusing, given that he was actually the higher lifeform.

He was not a cat. In fact, his body morphed into whatever configuration worked best in the moment. The basic structure of it was what the humans called feline, but he could shift his mass within that framework, stretching and compacting at will.

When the humans had arrived on Korainus, they had thought his species to be similar to these cat-creatures, apparently abundant on their home world—some place called Earth. They had immediately taken in what they had assumed was an animal somehow related to their cats, and told him he was beautiful, offering free food and lodgings.

What self-respecting Murad would turn down a free ride? He hadn’t yet disabused the colonists of their notion of his species as animals. He was having too much fun. In fact, he had been on a trek of discovery when they had come across him. He didn’t have the heart to tell him his people lived in an underground city not a hundred of their miles from the colony.

He’d get around to it one day. Really, he would. They’d find out eventually anyway. Cheshire’s people would send a diplomatic messenger as soon as they got around to it. Couldn’t rush these things, though. For now, he was just happy to enjoy the warmth of the video screen and all the attention lavished upon him. And food. Had he mentioned food?

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I’ve been creating stories based on images I’ve saved for a while. The last two were pretty dark, so I thought it might be time for a little comic relief.

This image was one I created while exploring abstract art. It’s pretty bizarre, which allowed me to have some fun with the story. I hope you enjoyed it. Leave a comment!