Hypnovember - Day 25: Parasite/Virus

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#25 of Hypnovember 2022

Day 25 goes to Tigroso

Tiggo is peacefully living the life of a domestic cat. But he also likes to wander outside during the nights. In one of these escapades, his hungry betrays him when he eats "someone" looking for a new host. And that new host might come in the shape of a little rat


"Passion in Orange"

By Patrick D. Lambert

Commissioned by Tigroso

The life of an indoor cat was phenomenal. You don't have to do absolutely anything to get what you want. Maybe roll a couple of times on your back to show your belly while holding your front legs in a pleading gesture, but that was it. The rest of the day you could simply sleep, climb in places you shouldn't climb, throw stuff around, and freak out at the sight of a cucumber. It was nice to have that type of life.

However, it lacked something. The orange cat cleverly called Tiggo knew there was more outside those walls. For a cat lazy enough to sleep for more than 12 hours, he was considerably active during the nights. Mostly because he knew his owners were asleep and couldn't do much to stop him. They had an idea that their cat was too dumb to notice the open window in the guest room, from which he could sneak out to the garden. So Tiggo played dumb until he gained his confidence. And after that, he started to spend more time active outside his home.

He wasn't exactly the sneaky type of cat. His orange fur was too bright and the stripes on it were too black--it was like seeing a traffic cone walking around. He was lucky enough not to be one of those overfed cats who couldn't even roll on their backs, so at least he had his agility for emergencies. With a size slightly above the average, he had also some confidence in offering a threatening look and a chance to fight if it came to it.

But the good thing about going out during the night was the lack of possible threats. Almost everyone was asleep, including the dogs. And since they lived in a fancy area of the city, that also reduced the possibility of finding something or someone dangerous. That gave him the freedom to explore to his heart's content, a thing he enjoyed a lot. Tiggo jumped from backyard to backyard, sneaked inside other families' houses to see what he could find, met with other cat explorers on his way, and the list went on and on. He enjoyed the tranquility of living at home with a millennial couple who preferred pets over children, but the thrill of going out and acting like his ancestors was addictive and a lifestyle he refused to abandon.

It was during one of his escapades that he found something peculiar while visiting the local park. A full moon over his head illuminated the entire playground, revealing the many footprints and trash left by the children hours ago. The metal toys swung slowly, pushed by the night breeze; and with it also came a sweet and salty scent that was immediately caught by his fine nose. Tiggo opened his eyes as if he couldn't believe what he was smelling. He then jumped down from the swing he was resting on and tried to find the origin of that delicious scent, but it wasn't anywhere nearby. The feline advanced carefully, taking quick and short steps before stopping to sniff the air again while standing on his front paws. He was getting close and at the same time, it felt as if it was too far away from him.

The more he smelled that scent, the more he wanted to discover what it was. None of the scents stored in his memory resembled that one, and yet the feline found certain familiarity in it. He liked it. Tiggo found himself experiencing exactly what he felt when they served him wet food: the sound of the can being opened, its content being placed on his special plate, all that juicy meat that melt in his mouth with each bite. He was already drooling at the memory of it, and it motivated him to cross through the playground faster in his search for that deliciousness.

His search took him out of the park and across the street. As he moved closer to the origin, he also started to feel slightly dizzy. But now that his hunger had awakened, nothing else was in his mind at that moment--he was a cat, after all. So he continued moving forward, guided by the intensity of the scent. It acted like a lasso around his neck, one thing no cat would allow under normal circumstances. But those weren't normal circumstances.

He got closer and closer, and then he stopped in front of a tree. There he was, behind it was the source of that sweet and tasty and salty smell. Tiggo smelled the air one last time as if he not only wanted to confirm its presence but also indulge himself a little more. His little paws moved carefully, his inner instinct of preservation prepared to jump in if behind has hidden a predator.

But what he found was completely different. Sprouting next to the root was a bunch of little mushrooms. He knew their shape because one of his owners had some in the garden--although Tiggo never showed interest in those. The mushrooms had all a long and extended cap, resembling what humans called "umbrellas", and their size varied. Their colors were white on the root and it gradually turned to brown as it reached the cap. There was nothing particularly strange in their appearance, it was quite normal, to say the least. But what caught Tiggo's attention was the substance on top of them. Yellow and with a cheesy appearance, the caps had some kind of cream over them. It was dripping constantly as if the cream was coming from inside the mushrooms.

One of his owners told Tiggo several times not to eat things from the ground--he already got sick once for doing so. His first instinct was to stay away from the strange mushroom. However, his nose reminded him of the smell, and the orange cat was "forced" to approach and confirm if the scent he was following came from there.

And it was! Sweet and salty, the smell won over his instincts and the cat took a bite of the strange mushroom. The taste was so much better than the smell, and a shockwave went from his brain to the tip of his tail, bristling the orange fur and raising his fluffy tail. It was above all the things he ate in the past, and he couldn't stop himself from taking another bite. And another. And another. Small bites of mushroom covered in the strange and yellow substance. Tiggo fed from them until he couldn't eat anymore.

When he was satisfied, the orange cat licked his whiskers and decided it was time to end his little escapade. He had earned a well-deserved power nap of 8 hours after on top of the clothes his owner would use in the morning.

He only advanced for a couple of minutes when he noticed something strange. Not only his dizziness had returned, but his surroundings also felt different. Tiggo couldn't remember exactly where he was or which path should he take back home. The ground under his paws became softer, and when he looked down, the grey concrete turned purplish. The world around him continued changing. The trees became giant mushrooms with cheese dripping from them, and the houses and other buildings turned into slices of cheese with holes in them. And that scent, that sweet and salty scent became stronger by the minute until it became the only smell his nose could perceive.

Tiggo staggered with each step. The nightmarish landscape had left him confused and lost. He felt fevered and anxious, trying to find his way home. The real world flashed before his eyes every time he blinked, only to get dragged back into the other world full of melted cheese and giant mushrooms. He couldn't even hear a sound or find another living creature there. He was completely alone, and the world continued changing before his eyes.

The orange cat dared to look up, a trick he did to know how much time he had before sunrise. What he found in the night sky wasn't the moon, but a giant wheel of cheese emanating a dim glow over him. And as he focused on the cheese that had replaced the moon, his body also experienced a sensation not so different from his rut session.

"Are you lost, little kitty?" A female voice said.

Tiggo meowed in a tone similar to his mating call.

"I see this world is not for you. But you are now a part of it."

Was that voice coming from the cheese? He couldn't tell. The cat felt confused. He knew his way in words, he spoke with other cats in the neighborhood. But the presence of that floating cheese in the sky deprived him of his skills, leaving him as a simple domestic cat.

"I can't say exactly how long will it take before you can return to your world. You are stuck here as I am with you."

The landscape was confusing enough already, and those words only made it worse. Stuck with him? What did that mean? And now that the voice had said that, Tiggo couldn't but notice a presence with him. He looked around and found nothing; he was oblivious that said presence was hidden inside his head, a parasite making roots in his head as the voice spoke.

"But you might discover this place isn't as bad as it looks. You can run as much as you want and find others to bring here to play. You wanna bring more friends here, do you?"

Yes. He wanted to reply but no word came from his mouth, so instead, he meowed again. He was already getting eager over the idea. The thought crossed his mind.

Bring them all. Show them your love.

The idea was so strong he couldn't ignore it. It felt like an itch on the back of his head that he couldn't scratch. Tiggo shivered, listening to his own meows getting more desperate. And he couldn't stop looking at the cheese above him either. So big. So shiny. So tempting.

"Then bring them. Bring them all so we could all play together. Bring them to me. Bring them to our home."

Yes. He would do it. He would bring them all. His eyes adopted a yellowish tone, with a glow coming from them. Tiggo refused to ignore the order given by the voice. It sounded like his own thought. He was convinced it was his idea. He wanted more friends to play with in that mysterious landscape. And for that, he must show them his love. The cat ran with his natural agility in search of another friend.

A little rat not so far from there was enjoying his midnight snack. His peculiar appearance was the reason he couldn't go out during the day: not only he was standing on his hind legs, but his "hands" also looked as if he was wearing a set of work gloves--orange on the outside, red on the inside. On his right ear, he had a small clip, proof of his past life at the laboratory. While Mad Rat had no longer the hole in his chest--after finding a way to escape his fate--, there were other pieces of evidence of the experiments done on him, like the clips on his skin and head. The little buddy had also gained a little weight and looked bigger than an average rat. Heart always joked about it, saying he looked healthier than ever.

That neighborhood Heart found was excellent for them. The charming cat was adopted by a loving family, and the cat made sure to find a perfect spot for the rat to live. It was a nice life, one with which both felt extremely happy. But Mad Rat was more nocturnal than Heart, and when the tangerine cat was sleeping with his owner, the grey rodent went on to explore on his own.

He was coming out of a neighbor's house with a piece of cheese in his hand, his favorite food. It was a great snack to calm his hunger. And since they had no pets or traps, the rat could move around freely. That made it his favorite spot.

Mad Rat didn't notice the yellow eyes lurking in the shadows. The cheese was so good that it demanded all of his attention to fully enjoy it--it was soft and had a strong flavor and smell, exactly how he liked it. And since none of the cats of that neighborhood were hunters, he had no reason to worry about it. For Mad Rat, that was just another night. That's how the mysterious orange cat managed to approach without being heard, sneaking through the bushes.

Tiggo followed his prey and waited for the right moment. That cute rat was also covered in the yellow and cheesy substance from before. Oh, he wanted so badly to lick it. It was hard to resist the urge to pounce at him. And this urge didn't come from the blood thirst that usually pushed cats into the hunt. No, Tiggo's motivation came from a different source: a flame in his chest that only got appeased by other means--and by cats only. Why would he feel that attraction over a rat? Tiggo didn't know and he didn't care.

His eyes followed the rat's moves. And he waited for the right opportunity to attack. The rat was completely unaware. He won't have a chance to react. Tiggo drooled in anticipation over the sweet cheese covering him. Just one more second...

POUNCE

Mad Rat squeaked loudly when he felt the weight of a paw over his chest, a feeling too familiar after all the times Heart did it to him, but at the same time, he noticed how different it was from the way his cat pounced him. It happened all in a blink, and when he opened his eyes, a different orange cat was on top of him, his maw uncomfortably close. Mad Rat put his little hands over it by sheer instinct, trying to move aside the strange cat, but he quickly remembered how weak he was in comparison.

"Get off me! Don't you have manners?" Mad Rat squeaked, trying instead to drag away from his paw.

Tiggo didn't answer. He had his eyes over him, staring directly at the little rat. He looked so vulnerable and tasty, with cheese covering his body. He wanted so badly to start licking.

"W-what are you looking at me like that?" Mad Rat asked.

He quickly noticed something strange in Tiggo's eyes. The yellow glowing and... spirals?! Mad Rat had seen those eyes before! That was the same look the other rats at the laboratory had! Could it be possible that that new cat had been affected by the Rat God? No, it was impossible. The Rat God only made contact with rats. However, there was no other explanation.

While his brain made a desperate attempt to find an answer, his body did the same in escaping out of there. Unfortunately, he was no match for the cat, who continued pressing down with his paw--without hurting him. Mad Rat began to fear for his life, regretting not having a chance to even say goodbye to Heart, his beloved friend who would wake up the next morning and never know what happened to him.

BRING HIM HOME

It was the only thing Tiggo heard. The orange cat drooled over the helpless prey, listening to that voice in his head over and over again. He opened his maw and approached the sharp fangs to the rat. One bite was all it'd take. Just one strong bite. And then the rat would be with him.

Tiggo, however, was an indoor cat, and as such, his stomach usually had more power over his mind. The voice drowned under his hunger and the flame in his chest, and instead of closing his fangs over his head, the orange cat began to lick the cheese covering the rat's body. So sweet and salty. So delicious. So alluring. Tiggo heard a voice complaining in the background, but it quickly faded as his tongue moved up and down, bathing the confused rat in his saliva.

Mad Rat squeaked again. Instead of dying, he was being bathed by the big cat. A very intense bath. He closed his eyes and tried to protect himself from the rough tongue, but it was useless. And when the licks became a little more intense over some very sensitive parts, things took a different panorama.

"Y-you're... oh no."

His squeaks became louder and more constant. That orange cat was acting in a way not even Heart showed during certain nights. It was more intense and desperate, almost as if that was his first time doing that. But Mad Rat knew he had the same goal. And when his tongue moved down his belly, and the first shiver of pleasure ran across his body... it was too clear for him.

"J-jeez... you're just like Heart..." he said between squeaks. It had no use. The cat would continue regardless of what he said. "Ok! Ok! L-let's do it quickly..."

Mad Rat was fine with it. After all, having the full moon in the night sky made it more special.