The rain poured heavily outside, drowning the world in a rhythmic cascade of droplets. The cold wind howled through the streets, making Elliot tighten his hoodie around himself as he hurried back to his apartment. It was supposed to be a normal evening—study, maybe a little coding, and then sleep. But as he turned the corner of his building, something caught his eye.

A small, shivering bundle of fur curled up beneath a streetlamp, ears twitching with every raindrop. A tiny cat, soaked to the bone, huddled against the concrete.

He wasn’t necessarily a cat person, but the sight of such a tiny creature, helpless in the storm, made something tighten in his chest. Without thinking, he crouched down, gently extending a hand.

The cat peeked up at him, big fluffy eyes blinking with curiosity, but it didn’t move. It just stared.

Elliot sighed, pulling off his hoodie and carefully wrapping the small cat in it. "I must be crazy," he mumbled to himself. "But you’ll freeze to death if I leave you out here."

With that, he tucked the cat close to his chest and hurried inside.

Once inside his apartment, Elliot wasted no time. He placed the tiny cat on his couch, wrapping it in a pile of warm blankets to stop the shivering. The creature barely moved, just blinking up at him with sleepy, trusting eyes.

"You must be starving…" he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll get you some water."

Leaving the cat snug in the blankets, he went to the kitchen, quickly filling a small bowl with fresh water. His mind was still processing the situation—he had just brought a stray cat into his apartment. What was he thinking? He wasn’t even sure how to take care of a pet—

A soft thump behind him made him freeze. Slowly, cautiously, he turned back toward the couch.

Sitting there, nestled in the blankets where the tiny cat had been just seconds ago, was a small, delicate girl—no older than eighteen, with fluffy white hair soft, white cat ears twitching atop her head and the long, fluffy tail curled around her.