Chapter 5 — That Orange Cat is Back
Garfield clung to Ancient One's leg, wailing with snot and tears: "Master, your disciple doesn't want to leave, your disciple can't bear to part~!"
Ancient One patted Garfield's head and asked him bluntly: "Weren't you just complaining a few days ago that Kamar-Taj doesn't have grilled steak?"
At times like this, the decisive move was to play dumb.
Garfield looked up: "Huh, who said that? Those words could never come out of my mouth, meow."
Pandora poked out from Garfield's head and pointed straight at it: "It was you, this lecherous cat who said it, and now you won't admit it. Every day you're cuddled up in Pema's arms, experiencing the softness of her embrace—you're just an orange cat with filthy thoughts!"
"Bullsh*t! I, Garfield, am not that kind of cat, meow!"
"It was you, admit it, you lecherous cat!"
"There's no such thing!"
"Hmph!"
"Hmph!"
After bickering with Pandora, Garfield continued clinging to Ancient One's leg, refusing to let go: "Master, please no~"
Ancient One patted Garfield's head: "Go back. Little Peggy's been looking for you for half a year now."
Ah.
So that's it.
Garfield released his grip on Ancient One's leg, licked his paw, and said: "Almost forgot about my childhood poop scooper. Master, send me back, meow."
Ancient One took out a special ring from within her robe and attached it to Garfield's right leg. The ring was originally large but instantly shrank to fit his furry leg: "This is a modified sling ring I made. It can change according to your cat paw size."
Garfield shook his right leg, trying to draw a portal.
Left circle three times, right circle three times.
A sparkling portal appeared effortlessly.
I'm a genius cat, meow.
"Thank you, Master."
"Be good when you get there. The butler, Philip, is quite old."
"Got it, Master."
Ancient One helped Garfield open a portal. The scene on the other side showed the same castle eaves where Garfield had followed Ancient One to Kamar-Taj. Garfield bid farewell to Ancient One, then leaped through.
Watching Garfield leave, Ancient One closed the portal and gazed at the empty room with a sigh: "I wonder, giving Pandora to that little one—is it a blessing or a curse?"
---
Garfield stood on the rooftop of the Peggy family manor, gazing into the distance. The vast estate stretched at least several hundred acres, complete with woodlands, hills, and a small lake. By the lake sat a small dock with a few fishing boats moored nearby.
Several water birds flew over Garfield's head. He sniffed—a fishy smell, pleasant indeed. Fragrant aromas wafted up from the kitchen below. Drool naturally began to trickle from the corner of Garfield's mouth.
Slurp
(ˉ﹃ˉ)
Wiping the drool from his mouth, Garfield said to Pandora above his head: "Come, your Emperor shall escort you on a tour of his domain and let you sample the cuisine."
Garfield snuck into the kitchen with Pandora, snatched a piece of roasted meat, and promptly threw the cooks and servants into a flurry of panic and shouting.
Watching Garfield steal food and flee, Pandora couldn't resist mocking him: "This is your domain?"
"What do you understand? These foolish humans have no comprehension of your Emperor's greatness. Besides, these are merely servants and cooks—as long as we manage their little mistress Peggy well, that's all that matters."
"Oh please, you're just a pet cat at best."
"I am the legendary Flerken, ultra-ferocious, ultra-fearsome, you know that?"
"Hmph, not even as useful as a Dark Hound I could summon."
"Then summon one!"
"Hmph!"
╭(╯^╰)╮
Pandora haughtily retreated back into Garfield's soul. After the kitchen erupted into chaos, Peggy Carter, as the young mistress of the Carter household, learned of her little orange cat's apparent return. Thus, Garfield smoothly resumed his place by Peggy's side.
One party continued treating the other as their poop scooper; the other considered them a pet.
Their coexistence was relatively harmonious, apart from Garfield's dislike of Peggy constantly hugging, kissing, and lifting him high—and of course, there were also dresses.
As a modern male, Garfield knew that wearing women's clothing came in only two varieties: the first time, and an infinite number of times. As a Flerken, he must possess the aura of an emperor. Meow.
In principle, Garfield refused.
Naturally, Peggy had much to say about Garfield running off to somewhere for half a year before returning. Garfield wasn't particularly fond of the little girl's chatter, unless it came with warm arms and embraces—only then would he reluctantly accept it.
For this, Pandora kept calling him a lecherous cat within Garfield's soul.
Hmph.
The situation upon his return was thus: First, relying on his memory, Garfield skillfully returned to Peggy's room, leaped onto her bedside, and sprawled across the soft pillow, which emanated a faint, pleasant scent—Peggy's natural fragrance.
Garfield couldn't resist sniffing it once more: Unlike Pema's natural aura, Peggy carried a subtle milky scent. Truly fragrant!
Within Garfield's mind, Pandora kept cursing him: Lecherous cat!
---
When the cooks and servants reported that an orange cat had appeared in the kitchen and stolen some food, old Butler Philip not only showed no anger but was instead quite delighted.
The cooks and servants looked utterly bewildered. Why would Philip wear such an expression? Had he gone mad with joy?
"Excellent! It must be Miss Peggy's orange cat that's returned. My name can finally be cleared!"
Only then did the cooks and servants understand: their young mistress had previously kept an orange cat that went missing. Before the cat disappeared, food had been stolen from the kitchen, delaying service for guests and provoking Philip to vow he would bring the thief to justice.
Because Garfield had followed Ancient One to Kamar-Taj that day, he vanished without a trace, leading Peggy to suspect that Philip had taken revenge and killed dear Garfield over the stolen food.
Unable to find Garfield, Peggy could only weep to her mother. Seeing her daughter cry so miserably, her mother naturally felt distressed. Yet still, Garfield couldn't be found. Eventually, the matter escalated to the head of the Carter family—Peggy's grandfather, James Carter.
Philip was put in a difficult position, swearing he had never seen that orange cat nor harmed it—no corpse, no shadow.
Someone suggested finding a similar orange cat as a replacement, but they feared it might backfire. According to Peggy's description, Garfield never played with other cats; he was an orange cat that marched to the beat of his own drum, often dashing under maids' skirts.
Presenting a counterfeit under such circumstances would make it seem as though Philip was truly guilty. Thus, no substitute was ultimately produced.
Peggy could only hope, as her grandfather suggested, that Garfield, seeing how vast the manor was, had simply wandered off to explore his territory.
To ease Peggy's mind, James Carter even deliberately scattered a few strands of yellow cat fur around the house every few days, suggesting Garfield had been present. Only Philip and James himself knew the truth.
Hearing that her orange cat had returned, Peggy was overjoyed. Abandoning her mother, she hurried upstairs alone, opened her bedroom door, and spotted a ginger ball curled up on her pillow.
"Garfield! You're back—this is wonderful!"
Squealing, Peggy rushed to Garfield's side, scooped him up, and rubbed her face against his, over and over.
"Human, I never gave you permission to hold me. Ah, so soft..."