night_creature_04//moncat

I was called upon a house which had become inhabited by Moncats. The owner, a notorious landlord, was threatening to tear down the property with the creatures inside. When I entered the house, a rather old construction -which moncats seem to favour- I was greeted by what must have been at least fifty pairs of bright yellow eyes. I had not brought enough sugar cubes for so many so I decided to keep those in my pocket so as to not incite fighting between the creatures. Moncats, originally from the desert, were brought to the city by the high society as a luxury accessory to their garments. Having a Moncat´s looped tail around your neck, or even sitting at the top of your head was, at a time, considered extremely fashionable. Of course, once the Moncat population grew out of control, the creatures were recategorized as plague and set off to live in the streets, hunted down by the infamous pests controls. Being not only dexterous creatures, parangons of balance, strength, and speed, but also owners of an remarkable intelligence, Moncats soon resorted to the art of pickpocketing and smuggling. Their tail, used in their homeland to capture flying birds, proved to be an excellent tool to silently grip valuables. There have even been recordings of museums being sacked by the creatures, stolen pieces that are sometimes found in perfect condition in the houses of the bourgeoisie. Adaptivity is, after all, the defining characteristic of most of the night creatures and Moncats seem to perfectly reflect that. Back outside, I realized with little surprise that the sugar cubes were missing from my pocket. Of course, so was my watch.