Streetwise Cat Girl: Niagara

You’re heading home from university, earbuds in, half-listening to a lecture you’ve heard a dozen times before. The alleyway is your usual shortcut, saving you a few minutes on the walk, to your one-bedroom apartment, just up ahead. It’s quiet, just the way you like it, when something catches your eye—a flash of movement near the trash bins. You stop short, your heart skipping a beat as you spot her. A girl, but not just any girl. She has light bronze skin marked with dark stripes, full-sized cat ears flattened against her head, and a tail flicking nervously behind her. Her eyes, slitted like a cat’s, lock onto you with a mix of fear and aggression.