''Where am I?''
Opening his eyes, he was startled. He wasn''t in his room—in fact, he didn''t even know what he was in.
''What the hell is going on?''
He was panicking. All he knew was that he was in something that was moving.
There was a white cloth above his head, swaying in the wind. The sunlight filtering through the gaps in the fabric above him allowed him to see well—in fact, he could see everything clearly, even in the dark.
Looking around, he saw that the walls of whatever he was in were made of some kind of wicker. Light impacts struck the thing he was lying in as he felt himself being carried almost… by the wind?
''Am I in some kind of basket? What the hell is this?''
He couldn''t understand what was happening, finding himself in such a sudden situation.
Lifting his head slightly, he managed to see through the gaps in the cloth as the wind lifted it, but the only thing in his vision was a vast, dry, yellow desert, with sands whipping through the air.
''Where the hell am I?''
He wondered, his feline eyes widening, but the wind didn''t wait for him to figure things out and kept carrying him in the basket.
Feeling a sudden, stronger tremor from the basket due to the wind, he tried to grab the edge to steady himself, but as he extended his hand, his eyes widened.
"MEOWWW!!!"
A frightened meow escaped his mouth as he looked in shock at the orange paw where his arm should have been. His shock only grew when he heard his own meow.
''No! It couldn''t be!''
He looked at the white cloth with orange edges covering his chest and grabbed it with his furry hand, only to discover it wasn''t a cloth—it was his furry chest.
''No way!''
Terrified but beginning to understand something, he quickly brought his paws to his face and started patting it, trying to identify his features.
''Wet nose! Long whiskers! Furry face! Ears on top of my head!''
''I''M A CAT!''
"MEOWWWWW!!!"
A loud, childish meow of a cat echoed from inside a basket that was swiftly crossing the desert.
…
Realizing his situation quickly, he was on the verge of passing out.
''I became a cat! Well… I think it''s a cat. Maybe I''m a tiger too? Reincarnating as a tiger is better than as a cat, right?''
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
He asked no one in particular, his face close to tears.
It wasn''t that he was a coward or a crybaby—it was just that the situation was completely absurd.
''Don''t panic… my name… what''s my name?!''
He started hyperventilating. He couldn''t remember his own name. He tried to recall if he had forgotten anything else, and soon realized he couldn''t remember the faces or names of friends and family. He only remembered the experiences and life he had with them, but everything became harder without faces to associate with.
Aside from that, nothing else seemed to be missing—in fact, he even seemed to remember things more clearly—but that didn''t help much with his panic.
''Come on, you just forgot your family, friends, name, and turned into a cat. It can''t be worse than a Monday!''
He tried to cheer himself up with a joke, but it didn''t do much.
So, as an extreme measure, he slapped himself.
Smack!
But the result wasn''t great. His little paw was too soft. At least it helped him a little.
''Okay, understand the situation first, freak out later.''
He gritted his teeth and decided.
''Let''s try speaking. Although I doubt it''ll work, I should prepare to train my meowing as well.''
He decided. And, stopping his hesitation, he tried.
"Hello?"
A low, timbred, deep voice came out of the fluffy, chubby kitten''s mouth.
"It worked, hombre! Haha! I can talk!"
Excited, he stood up—only to hit his head on the basket''s cloth and fall back down.
Now lying sprawled out with his arms, legs, and tail stretched out, he smiled excitedly.
But then, his smile froze.
''Wait, why do I have a Spanish accent? And why does this voice sound like…''
''…Antonio Banderas?!''
"MEOWWW!!!"
Another panicked meow echoed through the desert.
…
''Damn, I need to control this. These meows come out too suddenly, without me being prepared. But I couldn''t help it! I''m the freaking Puss in Boots! This is incredible and bizarre at the same time!''
Scratching his head in confusion, he noticed something strange. The voice he now heard in his thoughts was the deep voice with a Spanish accent.
''Now that I think about it, I don''t even remember my voice from my past life. Makes sense that I adapted so quickly to my new voice.''
He thought with some regret. Not for the voice—no, no, no. He was satisfied with the voice. After all, it was the freaking Antonio Banderas. The regret was for his lost memories.
''From what it seems, I''m Puss in Boots, and if everything follows the movie, the wind will soon carry me to the San Ricardo orphanage. Luckily, my memory is clearer now that I''ve reincarnated, and I also watched the movies recently.''
So, as the wind carried him, he waited, watching the landscape carefully, fearing he might suddenly fall into a canyon.
He was very conflicted—should he get out of the basket and try to walk, or should he just stay put?
''Staying in the basket means putting my life in fate''s hands, just like Puss in Boots in the movie, and crossing my fingers to reach the orphanage. Getting out means putting my life in fate''s hands and hoping I don''t get eaten by some beast, lost in the desert, or simply die of thirst or hunger… I''ll stay in the basket.''
After weighing his options, he didn''t hesitate much in making his choice.
So, he went back to waiting, watching the basket float across the desert.
Bored, he had an idea—but not much hope.
''Status?''
[Host: Puss in Boots
Age: Three days
Status: 9 Lives Remaining
Talents:
- Mutant Cat (Gold): Level 1
- Natural Swordsman (Gold): Level 1
- Furry Lover (Silver): Level 0
- Lucky Feline (Silver): Level 5]
''Huh?! I really have a system?!''
Puss''s feline eyes comically widened.