"Let me make one thing clear, however," the cat interrupts your attempted reply, leaning his huge head down and blasting you with another hot breath. "The only thing now shielding you from my wrath is Marisa's good will. The instant she decides you are no longer worth keeping under her wing, I will consider your body and soul to be fair game. Understand, mortal?" For a moment, his eyes flash with an eerie green light.
You barely keep yourself from falling to your knees. Gulping, you nod.
"Good. Then, this distasteful little conversation is over." Those horrible green eyes close, and the cat heaves a heavy sigh. "And now I must do something even more disgusting."
What now? You wonder in dread. The cat turns his back to you and settles down on his belly.
"Get on."
His voice is so quiet that you hardly believe what you hear. "What?"
"I said get on," the cat repeats with an agitated tail twitch. "My back, I mean. Or would you rather freeze to death?"
To be honest, it is a hard decision, but the pleasant heat emanating from his body wafts over you invitingly. Despite yourself, you shuffle closer. "Are...Are you sure?"
"No. But Marisa seems to have forgotten how easily small furless bodies lose heat, and if she finds her new apprentice dead of hypothermia tomorrow morning, it will cause even more trouble for her. So for that reason and that reason alone, I am doing this. So hurry up already while I am feeling generous."
It could be a trap, your mind tells you. Then, you realize that you no longer feel your feet against the desk's frigid surface. With a shiver, you make up your mind, and soon you find yourself climbing atop the broad slope of the cat's back. Once in a comfortable position lying facedown between his shoulder blades, you breathe a sigh of relief. His fur is silky soft against your skin like a comforting blanket. Never mind that this blanket can easily bite you in two if he chooses.
"Now hold on tightly," the cat's voice vibrates beneath you, setting off an oddly nice tingle up your spine. "And stay down."
Quickly, you dig your hands and face into his undercoat and grab as much fur as you can with your fingers. Suddenly, you feel huge muscles bunching and stretching underneath you as the animal gracefully rises to his feet. Before you realize it, he is on the ground, padding towards the other end of the shop.
Coming to a stop, he orders, "Now get off."
Almost reluctantly, you slide from his back and look around. In front of you, there is a cat bed the size of a swimming pool.
"Go in."
You obey and press yourself against the bed's soft side as the cat enters after you. His bulk takes up most of the space as he curls up to sleep, but you manage to find a position wedged behind his spine that allows you not to suffocate.
"Be sure to stay in your corner. And don't wake me up if you value your life."
You readily agree and try to make yourself as small as possible. Eventually, his breathing slows down into a steady rhythm. A while after that, your exhaustion overtakes you and you drift off.
The next day...