Thud, thud, thud.
Such sounds rang out along the broad path of Rockspur Cat Spring Mountain, a path so wide it hardly seemed like a mountain road.
Flowering branches swayed on both sides of the trail, long catgrass rustled, and the bells hanging beneath the Cat Lamp Residences, meowing and howling all the while, swung without pause.
A soft, fluffy Giant Cat Lamp bounced upward one step at a time with heavy thuds. Behind her, more than fifty or sixty little Cat Lamp dumplings hopped along. This Giant Cat Lamp had long white fur and the appearance of a lion cat. Moisture from the air continually flowed over her soft down, condensing into tiny ice pellets that fell to the ground.
After passing another Cat Lamp Residence, they came upon a small viewing platform to the side, where two witches in loose robes sat shoulder to shoulder. One had cat ears and a cat tail. She idly looked at her phone, occasionally gathering her hair aside to reveal her snow-white neck, while letting out clear laughter whenever something amused her.
As for the other, old-fashioned mechanical pens floated around her, along with an old daily ledger and an antiquated typewriter that cats would love.
Her expression was somewhat serious, and she occasionally murmured something under her breath, her voice interrupted by the clack-clack of the typewriter.
The Giant Cat Lamp could only see the mechanical pens continuously drawing diagrams in the ledger beside her.
The Giant Cat Lamp shook her head, flinging out even more ice pellets from her heavy fur, then patted her belly and continued onward with a thud-thud-thud.
In an extremely exaggerated tone, she said to the two witches:
"Meow-howl! Cat, cat made it up here! This nearly cost Cat her life!"
"But don't you usually fight