[ WP ] One day , while petting your cat , you accidentally pull his tail , and it opens up . Inside , there 's a USB connector . You connect it to your laptop , an announcement pops up . -Cat Version : 1.0.0 . Update to 256.3 ?

I awkwardly opened my front door, arms full of grocery bags, and sidled through. Kicking it closed behind me, I tried to hang the keys on the hook, but could n't quite reach that high with my arms full like this. 
 
 Deciding to just come back after I dumped the groceries on the counter, I waddled toward the kitchen. Focusing all my thoughts on returning the keys to the hook ( because I knew how distractable I am, and if I forgot that would mean another housewide search for them in the morning, when I am already late to work ), I did n't even see the cat under my feet until it was too late. 
 
 I went down hard, of course, fruits and cans scattered all over the floor. Glancing over the mess, I sighed. Another mess. 
 
 That was when Wy started yowling at the top of his lungs, and I realized his tail was trapped under my knee. I rolled over, freeing him, and he scrambled to his paws and snatched up his tail, licking it furiously. `` Sorry'bout that, bud.'' 
 
 Wy is my cat. It's short for Wyvern,'cause dragons are the superior species, it needed to be unique, and Wyrm sounded like a pink squirmy ball of nasty that I did n't have time to explain every time. Plus, Wy sounds like I'm shouting a question every time I call for him, and that seemed appropriate for a cat. There was an equal chance that he would show up or not, which is where the question came in. 
 
 Anyway, he's a pretty standard kitty & mdash; or so I thought. As I sat there, I looked over him. Triangular ears, one with a nick in the edge. Green eyes, focused fully on his injured tail. Orangish-red fur, with vague designs all down his back and down to the white of his paws. And then his exceptionally long tail, which was usually stuck in the air in defiance. 
 
 As he licked it, I got a glimpse of something shiny on the tip, and I grimaced. `` Crap, are you bleeding? That's not good.'' I leaned forward and picked him up, ignoring his struggles, and grabbed at his tail, sliding my fingers up so I could get a better view of the tip. 
 
 But instead of the reddish tint of blood, there was a small shiny grey spot, an inch or so beneath the tip. Frowning, I rubbed at it, trying to take off whatever had gotten stuck to him... and it got *bigger. * He growled at the touch, and settled still. 
 
 I hesitated, wondering if I was hurting him more. But before I could decide what to do with him, take him to the vet or simply let him lick at it for a bit, the tip of his tail just disappeared. Vanished, gone, *poof. * 
 
 In it's place was a silver USB connector. 
 
 I stared at it, befuddled. What was this? How did it get stuck there? Did it hurt? Gently, I touched it. Nothing happened, Wy did n't react other than to pull his elbow into a more comfortable spot. So I grabbed it between two fingers and tugged. 
 
 It came off, unreeling from his tail like a hook on a string. Two feet of cord, from USB to his tail. I'm ashamed to say that it took me a few minutes to think of something to do. 
 
 Obviously, this was n't something normal. I'd never heard of someone else having cat problems quite like *this* before. But there was really only one place a USB could go. 
 
 Still holding him, I ran to the living room, where the computer was. It was off, so I tossed him onto the couch and booted it up, rolling the chair over to sit. Slowly, agonizingly, the computer started up, logo fading into view, screen turning colors as it ran checks and stuff. 
 
 Wy, meanwhile, was sitting on the sofa, watching his strange new tail with laser focus. He twitched his tail, and the wire flipped off the edge of the couch. Instantly, his ears twitched, and he dove forward to scrabble at it with his claws, landing on his side and leaning over. 
 
 So engrossed was I by his normal cat-actions in regard to his definitely-not-normal-new-tail, that the *ding* of the computer made me jump a foot in the air. Wy stopped struggling with himself to watch me spin around and try to type in the password to get in. But twice, my nervous fingers put in the wrong set of numbers, 
 
 I took a deep breath, and focused on each letter at a time, one key after another. I was almost done when Wy landed on my keyboard, begging for attention. He did this all the time, so he was probable confused on why I growled at him, rather than laughing and putting him in my lap. But I picked him up in one hand, while typing it all over again. Finally, the screen cleared to show the desktop. 
 
 Flipping Wy around in my hands, I snatched at the cable that hung from his tail, trying to hold it properly. He started struggling again, rolling around in my elbow, making it that much harder. Despite the wiggling cat though, I managed to get a good grip and jam the USB at the slot. 
 
 It did n't fit. 
 
 For a moment, I panicked. What now? But then I had facepalm moment and flipped the plug over. 
 
 It still did n't fit. 
 
 One more time, just to make sure, I flipped it back to the original position, and this time it slid in like it was made for it. Of course. 
 
 Wy, on the other hand, immediately stopped squirming. I set him down on the desk, and he sat there with wide eyes, staring at me, the computer, everything. 
 
 A pop-up appeared on the screen. *Would you like to open C.A.T files? Yes/No* 
 
 Slowly, I slid the mouse over to Yes... and tapped the mouse. 
 
 Another pop-up: *Warning! Your C.A.T. is outdated, and must be updated before files can be axcessed. Would you like to update C.A.T.? * Beneath it, it said *Current Update 1.0.2, Released update 256.3.6. Total number of items requiring update: 1285* 
 
 I gaped at the screen. `` What? Update what? My *cat? *'' 
 
 Of course, no one replied, and the pop-up did n't give any hints. 
 
 I took a deep breath and leaned back in my chair. Rubbing the sides of my head, I glanced at Wy. `` What do you think?'' He stared at me, placid. 
 
 `` Okay, okay.'' I reached forward and moved the mouse toward Yes. `` Updates are a good thing, right? This can only mean you'll get healthier or something.'' 
 
 I clicked it. 
 
 The pop-up disappeared, and for a few seconds, nothing seemed to happen. Until my screen exploded with color and light, flashing through a thousand different numbers and letters, calculations. It slowed and settled on a single screen, a short list of what looked like an update report. At the top it read *1.0.2/256.3.6 | Updates will take approximately 8 hours to complete. Thank you for your patience. * 
 
 Confused, I peered at the screen and began reading. 
 
 *10 % more focus added. * 
 *Bug where staring at nothing fixed. * 
 *Claws strip layers easier, giving a sharper point* 
 *Claws retract seamlessly, to prevent unintentional & mdash; * 
 
 Before I could finish, the screen flashed, showing a different page of stats. The top read *1.0.3/256.3.6*. Wy twitched, and his eyes, staring at me, dilated in and out. 
 
 The next page flashed more stats and updates at me before disappearing. They rarely stayed on for more than a second at a time before being replaced again, and the number at the top slowly rose higher and higher. 
 
 I sat down and watched with wide eyes as my cat began to change. 
 
 Not all at once, of course. Each change was tiny, rarely enough to be noticed. I sat there for almost an hour simply staring as the designs on his fur sharpened and cleared into beautiful patterns. At one point or another, his ears twisted in full circles, and his tail curled like he'd been shocked. Between each reaction, he would stare at me, or lie down with his head on his paws. He looked for all the world like a normal cat. 
 
 But he was n't. 
 
 After a few hours, I could n't do it. He was n't reacting anymore, though the screens still flashed by at the same speed. I had to do something to take my mind off of my cat. If he was my cat. 
 
 I wandered into the kitchen, fixed myself up some dinner. Leftovers from the night before, a meat stew. But when it was done, I found that I could n't sit at my table and eat like nothing was going on in the other room. So I took my stew into the living room, ate it in the chair, trying to read the update notes before they disappeared. A couple times, I caught sight of a few things to do with muscle structure, something about his whiskers being tripled in sensitivity. 
 
 I took another bite of stew, and a new message flashed by on screen. *C.A.T. is now able to eat while updating, without danger of averse reactions. * I realized that he had n't gotten his dinner yet, ( I normally fed him as soon as I got home ) and he was probably starving. So without another thought, I put the last bit of my broth and bowl in front of him. 
 
 I could hear him purr as he licked up some chunks of beef, and I hesitantly reached out to pet his back. He rubbed up into my hand, and I smiled. He still had the same quirks. 
 
 It was ten by the time I decided to get some rest. I'd spent the past two hours staring mindlessly at the screen, trying not to fall asleep, but I'd nearly fallen off the desk twice, and Wy was dozing on the desk next to me. 
 
 I stood up with a grunt and a sigh. `` Maybe this is just a dream, huh, and I'll wake to find everything is normal?'' I rubbed a hand along his ears, and he rolled over and stretched. `` Well, I've got to get a bit of sleep. Do n't worry though, I'll stay right here.'' 
 
 I took my blankets from my bed and lay them on the couch, facing as best as I could toward Wy. Curling up in the covers, I sighed. `` Good night, Wy. I'll see you in the morning.'' 
 
 Darkness slowly covered me, pulling me down into sleep, and I clutched my pillow close. 
 
 From the desk, Wy opened his eyes. They flashed, twice, and focused on the sleeping man. He opened his mouth, revealing a set of hyper-sharp fangs, tasting the air for his scent. His ears flicked forward like radar. 
 
 And then the cat relaxed and smiled softly, a warm glow in his eyes. 
 
 `` Good night.'' 
 
 -- - 
 
 *Hope you liked it! If you wan na read some more, I post all my stories at /r/WrittenWyrm for safekeeping. As always, CC is more than welcome. Thanks for reading! *
