#kuko

Now, it’s not that Kuko didn’t like animals. It’s just that he was far too busy to take care of a pet. But when he noticed the little orange kitten sniffing around the temple, he seriously considered keeping it.

For starters, it didn’t have a collar. It also seemed to follow him as he did his chores. It felt like fate. Not that he’d admit that out loud. Instead he continued to work while keeping an eye on the kitten, making sure it was safe and taken care of.

When he took a break for lunch, he got a small bowl of water and fed it a bit of his sandwich. He laughed as it tried to steal more and scolded it playfully. Perhaps taking care of a cat wouldn’t be so hard. Besides, a temple cat could keep away the mice.

“What do you say?” He asked the kitten squirming in his lap. “Think you’d want to stay?”

Sure he felt a little silly for talking to it, but he swore the kitten understood what he asked. It practically purred with delight. This just made Kuko’s heart melt.

“Well, you’re going to need a name. How about-”

“Mao! Mao, where are you?”

Looking up, Kuko saw a very pretty individual looking around frantically. However, upon seeing him, they sighed with relief. He backed up a step as they bounded towards him.

“Oh Mao! There you are!” They smiled at him. “Thank you so very much for finding him! I’ve been looking everywhere for him!”

He nodded slowly. “Yeah…”

“How can I ever repay you?”

Kuko shrugged. If he was feeling more petty than he already was, he’d ask for a new temple cat from them. But he kept his mouth shut.

Looking down at Mao, they said. “Well, Mao is the runt of the litter of kittens that were born a couple days ago. I can’t give him to you. But if you want one, you can have one. I can’t take care of all eight by myself, plus their mother.”

He hoped he didn’t look too eager as he answered, “Well, this temple could use a temple cat.”

Kuko could practically see the hearts in their eyes. “Oh my goodness that would be adorable! Yes, you’re taking one now! I’ll let you pick! My house isn’t far.”

Well it got him out of work, plus he got a free kitten.

As he followed them home, he asked, “What kind of name is Mao anyway?”

“Oh, it’s Chinese for cat.”

“That’s dumb.”

“Then I probably shouldn’t tell you that I named the other kittens Cat in different languages.”

He gave you an incredulous look. “Really?”

They nodded. “Yep! Mao, Katze, Gata, Chat, Neko, Goyong-i, Billee, and Maur.”