Loki & Luc are characters from my story 'American Inugami', which takes place in the same universe as 'Tengu's Summer'. The two cats are cared for by the protagonist's best friend, and both of them are bakeneko.

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Scene Story: Luc was born to Loki's older sister, who unlike her brother was neither a bakeneko nor owned by anyone. The tiny kitten and his litter-mates were all healthy, and their uncle paid them visits frequently. Mostly it was to see if any would become like him, but also it was to arrange finding homes for his sister and her kittens. 'The life of a stray does not become one of our lineage,' would be his excuse. However, the life of a stray was also dangerous and unforgiving. His sister was struck by a car and killed. Her kittens, left unguarded and exposed to the elements until his next visit, were mostly picked off by scavengers. The runt was the only one left when he arrived, and Loki took the tiny shivering thing back to his home. There he knew his nephew would recover and grow strong. He would be safe...

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The bakeneko is a mythical creature of Japanese origin. They were cats known for general mischief and unnatural behavior such as walking on their back legs and 'haunting' a home with mysterious lights and sounds. They also were supposedly able to bring a fresh corpse to life by jumping over it, and like many mythical animals in Japan had a habit of taking human form- either by devouring a cruel owner to replace them, or by their own magic to marry a kind but unwed owner.

These powers became even more formidable - and their uses more devious - when the bakeneko reached its 100th birthday, grew to a certain size, or met another critical requirement. Its tail would split at the tip, and the cat would become a nekomata.