Kalewala of Nekots - Shadow Eclipse

I didn't know what I had expected. Something magical? I mean, a Nekoto in my bed and a glowing, magical leash over my dining table had seemed supernatural enough for one morning. Still, when I grabbed the leash, it didn't explode into light or erupt with thunder. It just... dissolved. It evaporated in my hand, leaving behind warm steam and—solar radiation?

"Did it work?" I asked, my voice hesitant. Then I froze.

The cat boy was staring at me like I was Tuonentar herself. His black hair stuck up in wild spikes, like a hedgehog's quills. His mouth—maw?—hung open, and his wide blue eyes were filled with shock and horror.

Had I just made the biggest mistake of my life?

"Why?" he finally managed to croak.

Why, indeed. I didn't have a great answer. I had acted on instinct. I had just... grabbed it.

"You need a Hatâ, right?" I said quickly. "And, well, I'm your age, I've got enough space, and... no one to ask any weird questions."

He kept staring at me like I had grown horns.

"I should have asked first..." The realization hit me like a falling roof tile. "I thought—well, I assumed the leash wouldn't appear unless you wanted it to, and once it did, I just thought, why not? and—" I stopped, swallowing my rambling. "I'm sorry," I finished quietly.

"No, no! It's okay," the cat boy replied, shaking his head. "I was just... surprised."

"Well then." Only then did I realize we were both standing. I leaned over the table, extending my hand. "I'm Taiki Vahvaki."

The Nekoto looked at my hand, then at his own. For a moment, I thought he might leave me hanging. Then his claws retracted, his cat ears vanished, and a regular black-haired teenager stood before me. He took my hand in his.

"Niko. Niko Mizunoko of the Vettä Clan."

I blinked. My mind spun back to the old legends isä had told us about the Nekoto clans.

"The Water Clan, huh? Is that why your eyes are blue?"

He nodded.

"So... you have water powers?"

Another nod.

"And now that I'm your Hatâ, does that mean I... have access to your magic?" That had never been part of the stories.

"It means I can develop stronger powers through you," Niko explained. "For example, I can cast spells I couldn't before because you'll tell me to. You can see ghosts, use Näkki portals, hold your breath underwater for a long time... Oh! And you can talk to cats, too."

"Talk to cats?" Yep. Out of everything he had just said, that was what my brain fixated on. Ghosts? Portals? Magic? Nope. Cats. Because obviously, I needed to know what all those cats in videos were really trying to say.

"Yes, among other things," Niko replied, but then his head jerked up. His ears twitched. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" I stopped and listened. There it was—a faint noise. A scratching, rattling sound. Like a broken heater mixed with one of Rouva Likumo's opera records.

"Get behind me!" Niko commanded sharply.

Before I could react, he was back in his cat boy form. His hair bristled, standing on end, as he positioned himself protectively in front of me.

Then I saw it. Black smoke slithered through the gap beneath the door, curling into the room. The air thickened, turning heavy and suffocating. My chest tightened. My eyes stung. Sweat trickled down my face. My breath came quick and shallow.

"Niko? What's happening?" I managed to choke out. Through the swirling smoke, I could just barely make out his tense figure. He was trembling.

"Piru," Niko whispered, his voice low and sharp. "We have to get outside. Now!"