01x12 - Neko to Oto no Matsuri

[bunniefuu]

In a small cave in the forest,

a dragon's egg was laid.

The egg was hatched

by a mother cat who happened
to come to the cave to give birth.

The mother cat treated
the baby dragon like her own,

raising him along with her kittens.

With the mother cat's love,

the baby dragon and the other kittens
grew up healthy and happy,

just like real siblings.

But one day,

the mother cat was summoned
by a human's magic.

She only had time
to tell them to get along,

never to fight,

and then she disappeared.

As time passed,

the baby dragon grew up
to be a magnificent adult dragon.

Following the mother cat's instructions,

he treated the forest cats like family

and continues to watch over them.

[THE CAT AND THE DRAGON]

[THE CAT AND THE CAPITAL FESTIVAL]
Hurry up.

[THE CAT AND THE CAPITAL FESTIVAL]
Wait for me.

Hold this for me.

If you keep being so slow,
the sun will set.

Hey, we don't seem to have
enough ingredients.

The town seems especially lively today.

Because it's the first day
of the festival.

A festival?
- A festival?

Is this your first time attending?

Yes.
- Yes.

We only moved to town recently.

This festival only happens once a year.

It lasts for three days starting today.

It's to commemorate the cat
who first befriended the royal family

and the first prince of that time.

The whole city celebrates together,
so it's a very grand event.

Everyone seems to be
looking forward to it.

It's not just humans
who are looking forward to this festival.

The cats living in town are too.

Furthermore,

the Cat-Siths who rarely leave the forest
will also gather in town.

I see.

But there's one cat

who isn't interested in
this festival at all.

Do I really have to go?

Yes.

We go every year,

but Uncle always puts up a fight first.

We're not really going
to do anything, right?

Are you talking about the festival?

I wonder what a human festival is like.

Listen up.

This happened a long time ago,

but a group of human adventurers
once came to the forest--

You've told us that story many times.

We heard it last year too.

And we heard it yesterday.

Me and your mom

have been hearing it
since we were your age.

We've heard it hundreds of times.

I'll take Uncle with me now.

If we let him dawdle any longer,
he'll definitely back out.

Yes, let's do that.

We're counting on you.

I want to hear about the castle.

I'll bring Mr. Wing back later.

I'll tell you all about it then.

You could also tell them about it now.

No.

Let's get going.

Take care, Uncle.

You don't need to bring back souvenirs.

Wait. I want a souvenir.

There are many newborn kittens
around this time of year.

It's too dangerous
to leave them alone in the cave.

No.

Their parents and the older cats
are all there.

There's nothing to worry about.

Hey, tell us about the castle.

Aren't there a lot of adventurers there?

Is it true there are no trees at all?

All right. Let's go.

If anything happens,
you must let me know immediately.

Okay.
- Okay.

When you eat snakes,
be careful of their fangs.

Yes.
- Yes.

And don't eat poisonous mushrooms.

When you eat mushrooms…

Enough! Just go!
- Enough! Just go!

Good morning.

Hi, good morning.

Are you heading into town now?

Yes.
- Can I come along?

Of course.

Good morning.

Good morning, Uncle.

I want to go to the festival with you too.

It's the cats from the forest.

Since there's a festival today,
they must be heading into town.

Good morning.
- Good morning.

Morning.

Have a great time.

Thank you.

The cats are here!

Sorry for the intrusion.

Welcome, everyone.

Is this the castle? It's huge.

It's still a bit of a walk
to reach the castle.

What? Isn't this the castle?

This is my first time in town.

There are so many humans here.

It's Lord Imperial Dragon.

Even if he's in his cat form.

Thank you for your hard work.

He finally made it in.

Welcome.

A cat with wings is so cool!

The people's love and respect for him
seem to grow stronger every year.

They aren't even afraid of him anymore.

If Lord Imperial Dragon wished it,

he could burn us to ashes in an instant.

We must keep what happened
in the past engraved in our hearts.

That's why we hold this festival, right?

Exactly.

All right. Things are about to get busy.

When Lord Imperial Dragon
is ready to leave,

remember to come back and see them off.

Don't let your guard down
for a single moment today.

Yes, sir!
- Yes, sir!

Listen up.

Don't play too hard
and get yourselves hurt.

And don't cause trouble
for the cats living in town.

Don't steal food from the humans.

You must talk to them properly

and get their permission
before taking any.

Okay.

Inside the castle,

there's a place that provides
human food for the cats.

After the evening events are over,

I'll be waiting for you here.

Gather here
if you want to head back together.

Okay.
- Okay.

All right. Dismissed!

We should get going too, Uncle.

It's time to go, Uncle.

Fine.

Seriously.

Can't I just sit here for a bit?

Come on. Don't be so slow.
Let's get moving.

Do we really have to go?

Yes, we really have to go.

Mr. Wing should be arriving soon.

Monaruka must have
dragged him here again this year.

Did the stage get even bigger?

The craftsmen spent three days
setting it up.

Are they performing that again this year?

Of course.

Welcome to the festival, Lord Cat-Dragon.

It has been a year, hasn't it?

I'm relieved to see you
in such good spirits.

I'm glad to see you're doing well too.

Has it already been a year?

I just can't get excited thinking about

watching that same play
I've seen countless times.

Jeez, don't be like that.

Come on. I've prepared
a special seat for you.

Please follow me.

I heard the child playing the Cat-Dragon
is very impressive this year.

The stage effects get better every year.

Let's enjoy the show.

Here. Eat as much as you like.

The chefs have all done their best

to earn your praise.

Are you satisfied with the meal?

It seems this year's food
is delicious too.

That's wonderful.

Is something about to start?

The play at Royal Square
is about to begin.

A play? Is it a performance?

Yes, it's the highlight of the festival.

We absolutely can't miss it.

Let's go watch it.

Well then, this year, Uncle will also…

It's starting.

This is quite nice.

Look, Uncle. The show is starting.

What a beautiful cloak.

It's made from 30 Cat-Siths.

That is indeed impressive.

A long, long time ago,

in order to obtain their fur,

humans hunted Cat-Siths relentlessly.

How dare you slaughter the forest cats!
I will never forgive you!

What? Is that a dragon?

Get it!

k*ll it!

Foolish humans.

This is quite well done.

Let this be a lesson to you!

Hey, it's Mr. Wing.

No, that's an actor.

An actor?

He's playing the part of Uncle.

The real Uncle is over there.

He's sitting with His Majesty.

You're right.

When you think of k*lling cats,
remember how terrifying I can be.

Foolish humans.

My flames

are enough to burn
everything you have to ash!

That's amazing.

I've heard this story before.

So that's how it happened.

Wait. Was I really like that back then?

How can we let
such a terrifying creature roam free?

We should go and slay it!

No.

I have always known
that such creatures exist in this world.

It's better to leave it be.

As opinions within the country divided,

humans began to fight amongst themselves.

This conflict led to a great tragedy.

Many lives were lost.

It was even worse than when
the dragon burned the town.

After much bloodshed,

stability finally returned to the land.

Thus began the era of a new kingdom.

I'm a prince.

Why am I so bad at magic?

Gosh, what a cute prince.

This year's prince is adorable.

What should I do?

At this rate,

I might not be able to become a king.

I must practice! I'll work hard every day.

Day and night, I'll train.

Day after day, the prince
- Burn. Fire, burn!

practiced his magic all alone.
- Burn. Fire, burn!

You're really terrible at magic.

I can't bear to watch this.

A cat from the forest?

Here. Let me show you how it's done.

Now it's the cat's turn to perform.

They're acting together.

That little one is currently
the best actor in the whole troupe.

The troupe?

The group who put on this play.
- Burn. Fire, burn!

There are even cats who specialize
in magic for the visual effects.

Visual effects?

I don't get it at all.

The cat playing Uncle

is also an actor in this troupe.

Look. It's almost time for his entrance.

It's the dragon!
- The dragon is here!

Do you want to teach this human our magic?

That's right. We're friends now.

Friends…

Uncle, didn't you tell us
to cherish our friends?

Uncle, didn't you tell us

to cherish our friends?

All right.

I'll go talk to this human's dad,

the king of humans.

It's a cat with wings.

I see. So that's the Cat-Dragon.

I didn't know he was so scary.

It's almost time for the finale.

And so…

Humans and cats

have blessed this land
with twice the magic.

As for those cats and the dragon,

their kindness

continues to protect every corner
of this kingdom to this day.

That was wonderful!

It was so good!

Great job, everyone.

The play is over, Uncle.

I want to dig a hole
and bury myself in it right now.

You were great, Mr. Wing!

You were so cool! I was moved.

Thank you, everyone!
- Now, everyone…

Uncle!

Let's give a round of applause
to the Cat-Dragon sitting over there!

Uncle, thank you for coming to the show!

I want to go home.

Uncle, it has been a while.

Hello there, Uncle.

I'm glad to see you're all doing well.

Lord Cat-Dragon is as popular as ever.

Well, Lord Cat-Dragon has
such a great personality…

Or should I say, "cat-onality"?

Every year, cats come
to pay their respects.

He certainly has his hands full.

You've come again this year.

It's you, Haibuchi.

You look exhausted.

Sorry. I've taken the liberty
of hiding in your den again.

No one will disturb me here.

It's very comfortable.

It's fine. You must be exhausted.

This year's play seems to be
quite a spectacle as well.

Stop teasing me.

I'm not teasing you.

The cats in town are enjoying it too.

The festival is very lively this year.

It's indeed a grand occasion.

Thanks to that,
I've been able to observe many things.

The reactions of those novice adventurers
are especially amusing.

I heard they came from the countryside,

so the scale of this festival
really took them by surprise.

Haibuchi has lived in town for years,

but he's a unique cat
who doesn't befriend any specific humans.

However,
cats with such distinct personalities

always have the most novel ideas.

They open my eyes every time.

I'm going to be a human adventurer!

They often surprise me,
but I never tire of watching them.

It's almost time.

Actually, there's one thing

that makes me think
allowing humans to learn magic

might have been the right decision.

And what is that?

These fireworks.

I see.

After all, this firework magic

is a combination of cat magic
and human magic.

Indeed.

This kind of magic is quite nice.

Wake up.
Time to go to the training ground.

I never thought the day would come
when I'd learn and grow with a human.

Life here is actually quite fun.

They're so fluffy!

So cute.

Hey, don't wander off.

Bye.
- Bye.

What do you think of my son?

It's the exact opposite of how we met.

To see his true character,

it will probably take some time.

You're being too reckless.

Only the guilds
in the royal capital are like that.

The royal capital?

Fire.

Actually, I've always wanted to ask.

Where does magic come from?

At least wash your hands
before you touch me.

White Cat, can you help them wash up?

Besides, it's good exercise.

That's great.

Here, catch it.

I'm a bit hungry.

I see.

Expert? You're giving me too much credit.

I'm still just a novice.

In your master's eyes,

both you and I are probably just rookies.

What are you doing?

You must have let your guard down.

This is a valuable experience too, Master.

Mom.

How lovely.

I'm so jealous.

You certainly know a lot.

That's right.

Actually, I already sent my son
to check it out first.

Children only grow
when you let them gain experience.

To a parent,

their children will always be children.

Sorry for the intrusion.

Welcome, everyone.

Is this the castle? It's huge.

The people here seem to cherish the cats.

The cats seem to like the humans too.

Looking at the situation,

this annual fireworks festival,

symbolizing the bond
between humans and cats,

should continue for a long time to come.

[BEING WELCOMED BACK BY THE CATS
IS THE HAPPIEST THING FOR MR. WING.]

[I'LL SLEEP IN THE CAVE
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A WHILE.]

[THE END]