Puss was in the garden, helping his mom to water the plants while his little sister played in the mud and rocks.

The ginger cats lived alone on the Boots family farm. Boots had been the surname of Puss and Karma's late father, and now the two were learning to take over. Neither kitten really liked farmwork but one of them had to inherit the farm, right?

"Karma, you look like a calico with all that mud on you." Puss laughed.

Karma laughed with one eye shut, as she always did. She merely held up one of her precious rocks in reply, showing how she had drawn a silly face on it with the mud.

Puss turned to his mother. She was standing on two legs, trimming a hedge.

"Why do we stand on two legs sometimes, and four the rest of the time?" He asked.

His mom shrugged. "Because some jobs are easier with two legs. You can't use hedge trimmers with your mouth."

"Why can't they just make hedge trimmers that can be used with your mouth?"

"It'd be hard getting them out, and more popular than the ones we have now. After all, they were made for humans. Now that humans are becoming more rare, though, maybe one day there will be more things made that way."

Puss took a moment to think on this. Humans dying out, he was sure they'd never die off completely, but now most of the animals could speak english and walk on two legs like they could. Some still lacked the ability to speak any human languages, some chose not to, some chose to remain as pets to the humans. He suspected this was what evolution was like, right in the middle of it, during the thousands of transitioning years between two phases of normal. Once it was normal for no animals to walk and talk, maybe one day it would be normal for no animals to not-walk and not-talk, but right now they were right in the middle of it.

Mother finished with her hedge-trimmings. "I'm going inside to make dinner now, be sure to come in by the time you can smell it. And-" She grabbed the garden hose and handed it to Puss. "Make sure Karma washes off fully before you come inside."

Puss nodded.

After dinner, neither of the kittens were tired, nor did their mother want to bother chasing them through their bedtime routine. So they were both allowed outside to watch the sun set.

As the fireflies came out, Karma began chasing them around. "Catch 'em! Catch 'em!" She called to her brother.

Puss joined in, leaping up on his hind legs like their mother had taught him. Karma hadn't learnt to yet, (She'd refused to learn, actually) and she ran around trying to catch them with her mouth.

"Yucky!" She spat as she finally caught one.

"Karma," Mother called from the house. "Bed time."

Puss escorted the young kitten to the house.

"Can I stay out for a while longer?" He asked, "I wanna explore the woods."

"Fine, just be careful in there." Mother replied. "And be back before the sun fully sets."

Puss climbed over the fence rather than going through the gate, it took too much effort to latch after it was opened because it was wearing out.

He kept to the path as he walked, admiring the trees and the way the early stars' light shone through the leaves. Fireflies flitted about, owls began to hoot, and he thought he heard the cry of a female fox.

He was so distracted looking up that he literally ran into something - someone.

"So sorry." He said, reaching out a paw to help the cat up.

She was a beautiful, glossy white longhair with iridescent turquoise eyes. She wore a pale blue bow around her neck, had blue-tipped fur - whether or not it had been dyed was a mystery - and had been walking on two paws rather casually.

"I haven't seen you around before." said Puss. "Are you new?"

"Might as well be." She dusted herself off and straightened her bow almost automatically. "Never been past the fence before. Katherine Softpaws." She held out a paw for Puss to shake.

"Puss Boots." He said, giving her paw a quick shake. "Like the fairy tale."

"Surely not from the fairy tale." Katherine snickered. "You're far too young."

"Definitely not. Named after him. You speak rather formally, I couldn't help but notice."

"It's how I was taught to speak." She replied. "Why do you not walk on two paws?"

"It just feels more natural." Puss got to his hind paws, swishing his tail to regain balance.

"Do you live on that farm back there?"

Puss nodded. "With my mom and sister."

"I live in a manor at the other edge of the forest, right between the woods and the town."

"What brings you to our neck of the woods." Puss couldn't help but smirk at his own pun.

"Well, I was trying to run away, but now I think I'm a bit too underprepared for that." Katherine licked a paw and drew it over her ear where a twig was caught.

"Mind if I ask why you were trying to run away?"

"Yes I rather do, for now. Perhaps once we've gotten to know each other better you may ask again."

"Purrhaps." Puss grinned. "So, Softpaws Manor? I've seen the garden, it's quite beautiful."

Katherine nodded. "I help the butler take care of it. It's the only reason I'm ever allowed outside. Very un-ladylike to visit the woods, I'm told."

"I don't care what's ladylike. Want me to show you around?"

"I would love a tour."

Puss held out a forepaw for her to take, jokingly and dramatically putting the other behind his back like he'd seen butlers on TV do.

"May I call you Kitty, by the way?"

Katherine smiled. "Sure. I've never had a nickname before."