Neptune sat down. Given what had just happened to his legs, he had little choice.

“I expect you came here hoping to eat me,” said the guinea pig.

Neptune looked sheepish. That didn’t mean he looked like a sheep—which would be stupid for a cat. It just meant he looked a little bit ashamed of himself. His furry head drooped. It was one thing eating guinea pigs quickly, after a brief struggle, but weird and embarrassing having one actually say it directly like this. And one of the main things people (and cats) do when they are embarrassed is simply lie.

“Of course not,” said Neptune. “Why would I do such a—”

“We both know you are lying,” said the guinea pig. “But it hardly matters. Your insatiable hunger brought you to me, which makes it neither a good thing nor a bad thing but simply a useful thing.”

Neptune had no idea what the guinea pig was talking about.

“But your hunger wasn’t why you left home, was it?” said the guinea pig. “Not directly. You didn’t leave home simply to find sensual pleasure, and to eat new things. You left for a far nobler reason. You had a different kind of hunger. Yes.” The guinea pig nodded wisely and then closed its eyes for a few moments. It looked tranquil, almost as if it had gone into a very deep meditation. Neptune wondered again about eating it. But his legs still wouldn’t move.

“You need to focus your mind on higher things,” said the guinea pig, without opening its eyes. Its voice was sort of whispery, but loud, and very spiritual. Neptune found himself listening, despite himself.

“There is more to life than pleasure and eating,” the guinea pig said. “You left home to solve a mystery. Yes, I can see it now. You are a true seeker. A hunter. Domestic animals don’t often epiphanize, but I can see that you are going to. You want to know about the lost cats. You have a deeper, nobler hunger. You need to learn to focus and channel this hunger, not the more obvious, basic kind. Do you understand me?”

“Sort of,” said Neptune. “I do want to change. I want to learn.”

Bizarrely, he almost meant it.

“Good. You want to be a true hunter, one who quests for knowledge, rather than experiences, or mere things?”

“Yes,” said Neptune, and this time he did mean it. A strange feeling came over him. One he had never really experienced before. Everything felt peaceful and light, and he realized not only that there were higher things, but that the world of higher things was much more interesting and pleasurable than eating guinea pigs. You just had to trust it, and know how to approach it.

Neptune did not know how to approach it.

He wasn’t sure if he trusted it.

The feeling went away.