A Feline Friend (Worm Fanfiction)

[Meeriadd]

I have always enjoyed works of fiction. From my childhood of begging my parents for money to buy books from the Scholastic Book Fair at school to my teenage years diving into the works of fanfiction online, and finally to my adulthood, where I began writing my own stories.

Fiction is incredible. It isn't just words on a page, it's a window into a whole new universe, with the words being there to guide your perspective. Many readers get quite invested in the stories they read, feeling sadness when a character dies, and feeling joy when another accomplishes a goal... Some even get happiness out of seeing their most hated characters suffer...

I am one of these people. When I was younger, books were just a fun pastime. A way to dissociate and transport my mind from this boring world into somewhere much more fun. I didn't get too invested in them, just thinking of them as cool movies in the form of words.

As I got older though, I began to feel... empathy for many characters, and hatred for others. There were times when I had to stop reading because I was feeling too much anxiety for the characters, or other times when I would get extremely upset at the actions of some characters. Some stories would be stuck in my head for weeks, sometimes months, or even years, and I would remember the worst parts of the stories. Where a character was betrayed or made to suffer...

So, one day, I made a wish.

Standing beside my childhood cat, Star, a black cat with a small tuft of white fur on her chest, I scratched behind her ears one last time and nodded toward the veterinarian.

The vet gave me a nod of her own before she began injecting the fluid that would end my cat's life. No, not just my cat, but my best friend.

I still remember the day we found her, I was 5 years old, and my mother and I were walking towards our neighborhood park. She was just a kitten then, alone and scared in some bushes. We tried looking for her mother, but couldn't find her, and eventually, I convinced my mom to take her back home with us.

We named her Star, as she was all black, with a singular tuft of white hair on her chest, like a lone star in the night sky.

She quickly became my best friend, as I didn't have any siblings. I would do everything with Star. We would fight, play tag, and hide and seek, we'd even eat and sleep together.

She got me through many hard times as a kid when I felt all alone. Even when I was going through the emotional ups and downs of puberty, and my first breakup. She was always there to nuzzle onto my leg and cuddle in my lap, letting me know she would never betray me. Never leave my side.

She was a true friend.

So now, 18 years after we first met, watching her be put down, it felt like a piece of me was dying. For almost as long as I could remember, Star was there. The shining beacon of my life had finally gone dark, and it hurt... it hurt so much.

Despite standing there staring at her unmoving body, with tears streaming down my face, I couldn't help this feeling of gratitude rise up within me, and a smile crossed my lips.

"Thank you, Star, for always being there for me."

Even though I doubt this hole in my heart will ever heal, I'm glad I met Star all those years ago. She helped me through so much. In the end, I guess what makes life special is that it can all end one day.

However, remembering all the good times we had, and all the stories I've read of people suffering, I couldn't help but make a wish, even though it might have been a bit silly looking back on it.

'I hope... No, I wish, that wherever you go next Star, you can help people just as much as you've helped me. No matter how dire their situation is. Some people just need a friend, and I hope you can be there for them, just as you were there for me.'


~~~


Many dimensions and universes away, in a dark and damp alleyway in a shithole of a city, a black cat with a small tuft of white fur on its chest stirred awake.

It wasn't sure where it was, but it knew it had just died. It had left its best friend behind... But despite the sadness that filled its feline heart at being separated from its friend, there was something else there. Words... it's best friend's last words to it.

I hope... No, I wish, that wherever you go next Star, you can help people just as much as you've helped me. No matter how dire their situation is. Some people just need a friend, and I hope you can be there for them, just as you were there for me.

Although it didn't use to be able to understand human language, now it can tell the meaning of its best friend's words clear as day.

It's best friend wanted it to be a friend to one's who need it most. Well, it would do its best to honor its friend's wish.

As the feline stood up, it felt different. Like it was simply... more. There was a... depth to its presence that wasn't there before. It wasn't just a simple cat anymore, it was much, much more, and now it had a purpose.

So, following new instincts that seemed to have manifested in this new life, the black cat with a tuft of white on its chest and a blue collar with the name Star inscribed on it made its way out of the alley and down the street.

It's destination? Winslow High... To become someone's friend.

 

[minitune001]

So Taylor's (hopefully) getting the emotional support she so desperately needs? I'm so happy for you, Taylor!

*sees "eldritch mc" in tags* ...umm, also good luck?

 

[Meeriadd]

(Disclaimer, I have never read the original story of Worm/Ward. I've only ever read fanfiction... so my depiction of the story will probably be inaccurate in some ways. Regardless, I hope you can look past that and enjoy <3 )

Star didn't know too much about human cities, as she was an indoor cat in her last life. Her human sometimes took her out in his car, or even let her out in the backyard with supervision. However, Star wasn't much of the adventurous type, so her enjoyment of those occasions was minimal. She mainly liked to spend her time lounging around the house, eating, or sleeping with her human.

But now, with this newfound awareness she possessed, Star found herself fascinated with this human city, despite its... poor state.

The smell of the dirty humans lying on the ground, the yelling of the fighting humans, the occasional loud bang made by some human contraption... It was all so new to Star.

However, this new fascination wouldn't be enough to distract her from her goal.

When she awoke in that dark alley all of... 30 minutes ago, not only did she feel different, but Star also had knowledge now present in her feline mind. Knowledge that wasn't there before... Knowledge of a world known as Earth Bet, and the story of a troubled young human.

This young human has had it rough, from the death of her mother to the betrayal of her closest friend. For the human known as Taylor Hebert, it seems as if the whole world is against her.

Well, Star would like to change that. Her human's last words were ever present at the forefront of her mind, instilling her with a sense of purpose she had never felt before.

Star would become Taylor's friend. Whether Taylor wanted a friend or not...

~~~

Taylor was anxious... Looking out the window of the city bus she was currently riding to school, she couldn't help as her mind raced through all the possible outcomes of her first day back after winter break.

The trio had been... eerily silent during November and December, leaving her alone for the most part. They stopped stealing her homework, tripping her in the halls, ruining her clothes, and taunting her. Even the horrible rumors that followed her no matter what seemed to die down, and the emails she usually was bombarded with had almost entirely stopped.

The winter break was surprisingly quiet. Leaving a small flicker of hope to rise in Taylor's chest, that maybe, just maybe, the bullying had stopped, and the trio had moved on.

It left her feeling hopeful. Sure, she had lost her closest friend Emma, someone who was like a sister to her, who all of a sudden decided to dedicate her time to making Taylor's life miserable. But, now that things might have stopped, Taylor might be able to move on. To put this unfortunate chapter of her life behind her.

She could get her grades back up, maybe make a friend or two, and try to go back to the way things were.

Maybe she could even approach Emma, and figure out why she had turned on her...

However, as she got off the bus and entered the run-down building of Winslow High, Taylor immediately felt that something was off.

The mocking comments she usually got, or the dismissive stares were completely absent. Which wasn't exactly something new, as they seemed to die out during November and December.

No, in the usual place of that perception, was instead gazes full of... anticipation? It was like all the students knew something she didn't, and she would be the butt of the joke, yet again.

Instantly, Taylor felt anxiety pool in her stomach. The trio was up to something. She could feel it.

'Stupid... so stupid.'

Taylor felt stupid for being so naive, for believing things had changed for the better. Who was she kidding? This torment was never going to end out of nowhere like it seemingly did over the winter. No, the trio was probably planning something and left her to stew in her anxiety until Taylor finally felt a false sense of security. So that the next time they got her, it would hurt that much more.

So, when an absolutely rancid smell found its way to her nostrils, Taylor figured she could guess what the trio were up to.

'They ruined my locker... and are going to make the staff think I did it... Like they always do.'

As Taylor turned down the hall that housed her locker, she could feel the stares of all the students and their mocking snickers as she walked past. The smell was clearly coming from her locker, and she had no idea what the trio had done to make it smell so rancid.

However, despite every instinct telling her to not go to her locker, she felt obligated to. Like if she didn't, it would be like allowing the trio to win. So, she would open it and see what they've done, before trying to find out some way to clean it before she gets in trouble.

Though the odds of that happening were low, to say the least.

As she approached, she spotted the trio standing a little ways away from her locker. Madison, with her short and innocent appearance, covering her mouth in a barely disguised smirk.

Sophia, with her athletic physique and thinly veiled hostility to anyone and everyone around her.

Then, lastly, there was Emma. Someone Taylor used to consider a sister. A gorgeous redhead who seemed to have won the genetic lottery. Not to mention her well-off family due to her father's occupation as a lawyer. It was like she was destined to be popular.

Emma had a wicked grin plastered across her face as Taylor approached, calling out in that disgustingly sweet fake voice she does whenever she wants attention.

"What's wrong Taylor? Forget to clean out your locker before winter break?"

Taylor didn't bother responding, only trying to hold her breath as she stood in front of her locker. The smell had only gotten worse as she had got closer, and now it was taking everything she had not to puke.

However, as she punched in the combination and opened her locker, her senses were assaulted with the smell of fermented used feminine products and garbage. They were stuck all over the walls of her locker, and covered in bugs...

The smell hit her in the face, and immediately, she puked, not even having time to turn her head away from the disgusting sight.

However, it was then that she felt a strong hand grasp her hair before she was roughly shoved into the locker.

Before she could even react, she heard Sophia Hess speak over the laughter of her peers.

"Have fun, Hebert."


~~~


( Author's Note - I stream on Twitch if you'd like to stop by and talk fanfiction sometime! ( https://www.twitch.tv/meeriadd ) Thank you all for reading and sorry for the short chapters. It's just what I'm used to writing!)

 

[Natelord28]

More good stories for the story goblin!