The Wild Cats
Rohan believed the cats living in the forest to be spirits themselves. They mercilessly hunted the rodents and birds in the forest as if it was their own mission given to them by their master. Not only this, but like the spirits, the cats hunted individually but were most often found relaxing among their kind. Some of the cats even tolerated his lonely presence.
Currently, he most often watched a young pair. He named the long-haired tabby Dango. When she was smaller she had no fear towards him and was the most playful cat he’d ever met. But after a couple of short months, she’d become aware of her mortality, and started to become a bit wary of him. She no longer scratched or bit him, but rather treated him with mature respect. It’d been months since he’d heard her meows, which she used to do when she didn’t want him to go. Despite this, when he’d come to watch her play, she’d still casually brush his legs to greet him. Rohan looked forward to speak to her, as her large almond eyes would look back at him with love.
Totoro was a very different cat. Grey and white, he looked urban and despite growing older he didn’t think twice about approaching strangers. His green eyes were wise and human-like. Rohan couldn’t hold it against the cat though, as the young boy would often find the forest spirit and take a seat upon his lap. Totoro was also very vocal, and had the strange ability to chirp to the birds. But he knew to meow at his best friend Dango, about what Rohan never knew.
The two complimented each other well. One evolved best to survive in the forest as a true feline and the other adapting to sharing their life with others. Rohan could relate more with Dango, and he was more than okay with that.