“Who am I? What am I?” the feathery feline asked the wise man, in tears. “The owls say I’m not an owl, the cats will not play with me either. I feel so lonely and sad.”

The wise man smiled and took his wrinkled hand to the creature’s head.

“Do not let it get to you, Minguar. Not all animals in the jungle understand those who are different but that doesn’t mean you are worthless.”

“But I have no friends. Everybody makes fun of me and calls me a freak because I am a cat with feathers. Or an owl that looks like a cat.”

“That is precisely where your great value lies, young one. You have the qualities of both, you can fly like an owl and run and climb trees like a cat. But most animals do not understand that being different can be a beautiful thing, they just judge according to their own values. Besides, Minguar, never forget that true beauty lies in your feelings, not in your looks. You have a kind heart. You just need to find those like you, those who really understand you and accept you as you are.”

Minguar, the feathery cat, wiped his tears with his paw. He rubbed his soft head against the wise man’s hand as he thanked him for his words.

The animals kept making fun of him but as he grew older he started realising he cared less and less about it. Suddenly other animals’ opinions of him didn’t matter anymore. He started loving his own company and find joy and love within. Self-love, what a beautiful feeling.

That was when it finally happened. While he was looking at his own reflection on a puddle of water, he saw the reflection of two others like him. He turned around, incredulous. They smiled.

“You look exactly like me!” he exclaimed. “Yet I’ve never seen you around.”

“No, we can only show up in the life of a Different One when he or she finally accepts him or herself. That’s when the Different One can understand us.”

“I don’t understand?”

“It means that only when you start loving and accepting yourself without the other animals’ approval are you ready to see and join your kind. Because we are the Different Ones we cannot expect to be understood by those who are all the same.”

Minguar still looked confused, but the others smiled and told him he could live among them. The feathery feline finally had friends. Others exactly like him, who never judged him even when he made mistakes or acted clumsy. With the Different Ones it was perfectly fine to be a feline with feathers. Or an owl that looked like a cat. It really didn’t matter.