“Mr. Gargoyle, I really need you to let me go~!” Josh cried. His face felt full of gunk and nasty from all the tears he’d shed the past three days. Nothing was going right for him.

First: he was in the wrong time. The parade had been a welcome-back for the knights after a raid, and one of the maids gushed over how well a 17-year-old commanded troops of older men. He’d completely missed the historic meeting.

Second: the gargoyle he’d used for napping was very detailed. Something - a claw, a wingtip, or some sort of embellishment - caught on his collar. Polaris had spelled it with invisibility and silence for Josh’s safety, but the fabric should have ripped easily. Josh was supposed to be able to scratch it off when he left the mansion. This was super important! The fabric didn’t stretch when he shifted. If he tried to turn human with the collar on Josh would die! Sniffle…

Third: because Josh was invisible and silent, no one saw he needed help. He’d been stuck for three days and now he was tired, hungry, and miserable.

And probably one step away from staying a cat forever. Three days caught on the statue and two before that as a cat. Added to the mana he’d used just to come back to the past and his reserves were… dangerously low. If he didn’t get the collar off and find a safe place to transform tonight, there was a good chance he’d be stuck as a kitten forever.

“Mew, mew, mew. Starving to death is awful.” Josh felt pathetic. Caught on a statue and unable to free himself? It was silly! He should be able to just pull his head through the collar, or twist off the statue, or something! But no matter what he did the collar held tight and didn’t budge. He wasn’t an actual cat; he had a human brain!

But he’d been chosen for this mission because he was small and tiny. Unnoticeable. Weak. No one would miss him if he disappeared.

“The young master’s laundry should be finishing up around now. Mind if I go and get it then come back and help you with the settings?”

A voice! “Here! Over here!” Josh yelled. He didn’t even care that the sounds all came out as ‘meow’ and ‘nyan’. So long as they heard something and found him! “Please help me!”

“Be quick,” a second maid said with a bit of worry. “I can manage the settings, but if you’re late His Grace will be angry. I heard tonight’s family dinner will be a private celebration of the young master’s seventeenth.”

“I’ll run,” the first said.

“Don’t run!” Josh yelled, almost screaming. “Stop! Help!”

But the collar worked too well and no one heard him.

To distract himself from the despair of starving, Josh sat and considered what the plan was now. His tail curled around his feet in a sort of self-hug as he realized his first attempt at the mission was a failure. He’d missed the deadline. There was a “plan B”, but… hynk! Josh felt a shiver ghost up his spine. He hated plan B.

But what else could he do? Josh wasn’t skilled at ritual magic. There was no way he could go further back without Polaris’ help, and the current Polaris didn’t know who Josh was. Future Polaris had strictly forbidden interacting with his past self and revealing the mission.

That left following Drakon around and trying to learn the secrets as Morrison continued on the path to becoming the Dragon Emperor. So dangerous! Secret whispers in the future told the truth: by seventeen Morrison had already killed his older brother Benji. Sticking close to him was equivalent to walking into an active battlefield.

And Morrison watched for spies. Closely. If Josh was discovered to be more than just a cat then he’d be gone in an instant. So scary!

“Wah!” Josh’s cry echoed in his own ears, yet not a single soul glanced towards the statue. Hours passed and servants walked by. “Please, please, please!” he cried at every set of steps, testing the limits of the collar’s magic. At this point only his magic was keeping him alive. Forget becoming human again - Josh would really die! He could feel his body shaking as the weakness and weariness made him heavy. Strangely, he could lie down with the collar and not get choked. He couldn’t understand why it wouldn’t come off!

“I’m so hungry,” Josh sniffled. “Someone please help? I’ll do anything! I’ll be a good pet! I won’t cause any trouble!” Josh hated the idea of being a pet almost as much as he hated the thought of staying close to Drakon. Being a pet of anyone in the dragon emperor’s childhood home was a scary thought. So close to danger every day.

And the tiniest mistake could change history. It didn’t matter though! Josh would do it! Being someone else’s toy was better than being dead! “I’m so hungry~! Wa…” Josh’s cries were getting softer. Was this mission even worth dying over? Not to Josh! He’d agreed to a quiet life of solitude while carrying a secret, not sacrificing his life for information! He heard footsteps again and started calling out as loudly as he could: “Please! I’m stuck! Mr. Gargoyle won’t let me go! I’m so hungry, and I’m caught! I promise I’ll be good. I’ll do whatever you want! Help me, please? I’ll be your pet! I’ll cuddle you and stay with you and do anything! I don’t want to die…” It didn’t matter who it was; Josh was desperate. Even if all they heard was ‘nya, nya, nya,’ Josh had made those promises and would do his best to keep them. His life was worth more than this.

He sunk low when he no longer heard the footsteps, laying his head on his paws and sobbing. Wouldn’t anyone notice him?

His eyes flew open when he felt someone touching him. Josh couldn’t stop the purrs that rumbled from his chest as they fiddled with the collar. A few quiet words and the fabric was freed from the stone.

Josh almost ran. Almost. He was too weak, and tripped over his own feet in the attempt.

There was a gentle chuckle from above before those big hands picked him up. Josh was so small he almost fit in one hand. He found himself cradled between warm skin and soft clothes. His small claws slid out and latched onto the shirt to give Josh purchase. Three days without food and Josh wouldn’t survive a fall!

The face wasn’t clear in the evening light. The angles from this direction were all wrong, and cats didn’t see things the same way people did. He couldn’t recognize who rescued him. Josh could tell it was a male, though, and from the lingering scents someone who’d just eaten. Josh was quick to find the bits of skin with the most lingering oils and salts and started licking. “So hungry!” he whimpered.