A (0:08)

Hello, friends, and welcome to Sleep Tight Stories. Yuki had a perfect life until Koro showed up. At least this week has been better since Koro has been at school. Yuki thinks things are great until Nico, her owner, calls her for breakfast and she smells something really bad. Yuki does not like greens. It had been a few weeks since her once perfect life had been turned upside down. All thanks to the arrival of him. Koro the ear chewing, head licking menace. His presence had been a tremendous strain on Yuki's previously idyllic existence. But this past week had been bliss. Koro had been away at school. Apparently, puppies had to go to school because they weren't cultured at birth the way cats were. Yuki wasn't convinced school would ever fix his lack of refinement. After all, dogs were never truly sophisticated. And certainly not as much as she was. She was a princess. Yuki, your breakfast is ready, called Nikko. Come eat. I have to leave early today. That suited Yuki just fine. Lately, Nico had been going to the office more than usual, which meant Yuki had the apartment all to herself. No surprises, no loud, drooly creatures. Just peace. She pranced into the kitchen, her tail high as a princess should carry herself. What would be for breakfast today? Would it be strawberry ice cream? She usually had fruit for breakfast. Or perhaps that banana coconut flavor that had been delicious. Though not nearly as exquisite as her favorite abalone ice cream? Now that was the breakfast of royalty. Miso was nice too, but nothing compared to fish flavored ice cream. She approached her bowl with great anticipation. Food always came first, cuddle second. And then she froze. Her bowl looked wrong. The contents were green, the smell suspiciously like the garbage bin. Yuki's fur bristled as she looked up at Nico, who was standing over her with a far too cheerful expression. Yuki, some of my followers on social media have been saying that you might be gaining a little too much weight and that it's not healthy for a cat, Nico explained. So I've decided to make you a vegetable smoothie for breakfast. If veggies are good for me, they should be good for you too, right? Yuki liked being famous. Until now. She sniffed the green horror in her bowl. Her tail puffed up, her ears flattened. Her stomach rumbled. Fine, she thought. She was starving. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad. She leaned forward and took a tentative lick and immediately regretted. Tasted like green. Yuki knew what green tasted like because she had once accidentally eaten grass. The aftermath of that wasn't pleasant. I have to go. Yuki. Try to finish your breakfast, okay? Nico said, grabbing her bag oh, and I might be home a little late because I'll be bringing Koro home from obedience school after work. Won't that be great? You two will be together again. As if this day couldn't get any worse, Yuki let out a long, dramatic sigh as she heard the door click shut. Now she was alone with this. She stared at her bowl in silent horror. Yuki was a young cat who ate nothing but ice cream. She had ice cream for breakfast and dinner every single day of the week. As a princess and a celebrated social media star, she was pampered with all the luxuries a cat of her status deserved. Scratching posts, designer outfits, and a comfy bed in every room. One was even shaped like an ice cream cone where she would curl up like the adorable icon she was. She used to have an elaborate climbing track that let her explore the entire apartment. But lately, climbing had become difficult. Jumping had become a chore. Yuki had convinced herself that it was fine. After all, should a princess need to climb and jump? After reluctantly forcing down some of her breakfast, Yuki made her way to the living room to take a well deserved nap. Her bed was in the perfect location, right where the sunlight poured in. Yuki loved the sun, and she thought it loved her. Until it moved, which, frankly, was rude. Didn't the sun know who she was? If it did, it would have had the decency to stay put. With a long, exaggerated sigh, Yuki got up and stretched before gracefully making her way to the dining room, where she settled into another bed. A princess must have options there. She began her daily grooming ritual, meticulously licking her fur until it gleamed. Cleanliness was very important to Yuki. Before Yuki had mastered the art of self care, Nikko had once made the terrible mistake of giving her a bath, which was an unforgivable crime. Even worse, there was one time, one horrific time, when Nikko put her in the shower. It had taken weeks for Yuki to recover physically, emotionally, spiritually. After all the hard work of cleaning herself, Yuki felt a little hungry. She padded into the kitchen, hoping she had imagined breakfast earlier. Unfortunately, she had not. Her bowl was still there. It was still green. Yuki gagged. How could she live like this? But Yuki was strong, resilient. She would wait. Surely when Nikko came home, she would bring something worthy of her refined palette. Fish flavored ice cream. Maybe even lobster. A rare delicacy for lobster ice cream. Yuki would even agree to wear a costume for social media. Their usual evening routine. The things she did for fame. Before Yuki heard the door open, she heard him. A series of yelps pants excited, scratching at the door. Oh, no. He was back. So annoying. As soon as Niko stepped inside, Koro, a clumsy ball of boundless energy, barreled into the apartment and launched himself at Yuki. He pounced on her, chewed on her ears, and licked her entire head from ear to ear. Then, completely satisfied with his enthusiastic greeting, he bolted down the hallway, probably to chew on something else. You two are so cute. Nikko cooed. Koro loves you so much. Yuki sat frozen in horror, her fur soaked in dog drool. Her hours. Hours of grooming ruined. She let out a long, exhausted sigh as drool dripped from her whiskers. I can live without this kind of love. Was even lobster ice cream enough to make up for this? I brought you a super special treat for dinner tonight. Nikko announced cheerfully. Yuki perked up. Finally, some justice. It's for both you and Koro. A way to celebrate his graduation from obedience school. Less justice. We're going to make so many fun videos tonight. Our followers are going to love it. Maybe you will even go viral again. Yuki was less concerned about the videos and more concerned about dinner. At this point, she would agree to almost anything. She padded into the kitchen, even meowing. A rare occurrence. She must be hungrier than she thought. And then, the unthinkable happened again. Nico placed her bowl on the floor. It was green. Yuki stared. What did I do to deserve this? I got you some special greens today, Yuki. Nico beamed. They're called Super Greens because I think you're super. Yuki wished she were less super. She turned her head away from the insult in her bowl, her ears flattening slightly. And then she smelled it. Her nose twitched. The food in Koro's bowl smelled delicious. It couldn't be. No. It was fish. Niko had given Koro fish for dinner. Yuki's tail puffed in outrage at the sound of his bowl hitting the floor. Koro charged down the hallway, his ears flopping, his paws skidding as he nearly wiped out on the kitchen tile. Niko chuckled. I'm going to take a shower while you two eat. Make sure you finish all your food, Yuki. She called, disappearing down the hallway. Yuki's ears twitched. She would not be finishing this food. Koro, meanwhile, was already inhaling his dinner, gobbling it up at alarming speed. But just as he was about to finish, he stopped and looked at Yuki. He tilted his head as if reading her mind. Then, without warning, Koro stepped forward and picked her up by the neck. Yuki let out a startled yowl. Hey, what are you doing? You Drooling monster. Put me down this instant. She squirmed, but Koro held firm. I don't need any more of your drool on my head. Then, to her utter shock, Koro sat her down right in front of his bowl and nudged her forward as if to say, go ahead. Yuki blinked. Are you suggesting what I think you are? You're really going to give me the rest of your delicious, fragrant fish dinner? I mean, you ate most of it already. But still. She eyed him suspiciously. A trap. A trick. A setup for more ear chewing. But Koro just sat there, tail wagging, watching her expectantly. Hesitantly, Yuki leaned down and took a small, delicate nibble. Perfect. Glorious. A taste of what life was meant to be. And just as she started to appreciate his unexpected act of generosity, Koro lunged. Not at her, but at her bowl. In a blur of golden fur, he devoured every last bit of her food in the chaotic, messy way only a Labrador puppy could. Bits of green horror flew across the sky. Yuki stared, horrified. What just happened? Was this drooling, ear chewing, nap ruining, creature kind? Before she could process the moment or shudder, thank him, Koro bolted down the hallway, disappearing into his secret kingdom. A little while later, Nico emerged from her shower, wrapped in fluffy towels and wearing her comfiest clothes. Yuki liked those clothes. Those were cuddle clothes. Usually, after an exhausting night of social media duties, Yuki would curl up in Niko's lap for a well earned post fame nap. Oh, Yuki, you finished your dinner. That's a good princess. Nikko cooed, bending down to scratch behind Yuki's ears. I did? Oh, right. Yes, of course. I totally meant to. Green food is so healthy for you. Soon you'll be climbing all over the apartment again. Yuki held back a grimace. She had no intention of climbing anything. But she did have every intention of keeping this arrangement with Koro going for the next week. Every mealtime followed the same unspoken agreement. Koro left a little bit of his fish flavored food for Yuki. Koro finished all of Yuki's green food before she had to suffer through it. A fair trade, perhaps. Yuki started to appreciate Koro just a tiny bit. I mean, he had also saved her from the toilet disaster. Maybe he wasn't entirely terrible. She even let him share her bed, where they would cuddle while they waited for Nico to come home. Well, most of the time he still licked her head, which she never accepted. But she tolerated it as long as he kept sharing his food. Then one evening, Nico came home and made a big announcement. I have a special surprise for you both, since you've been getting along so well together. Yuki's ears perked up. Could it be a special dinner? But first I have to take Koro for a walk. Then we can eat. Okay? Yuki flicked her tail. Typical. Dogs weren't civilized like cats, they had to go outside to do their business. When Niko returned, she cleaned Koro's paws, a necessary task of which Yuki approved. His feet were often very stinky. Then, without warning, Koro bounded over and gave her a huge, sloppy lick. Yuki recoiled. Drool. Must be his love language. Niko laughed. Since you've been so good about getting your greens, I thought we'd have a special treat tonight. She placed a bowl in front of Yuki. It was everything. Abalone ice cream with a scoop of miso flavored ice cream on the side. Yuki was in heaven. Her tail quivered with excitement. She was so thrilled, she was almost drooling. Almost. Enjoy your dinner, you two. I'm going to take a shower. Then we can play and maybe film some videos. But Yuki wasn't listening anymore. Because her dinner of dreams was right in front of her. Abalone ice cream, miso on the side. Pure perfection. She leaned in, ready to take the first glorious bite. Then she paused. Coro wasn't eating. In fact, he wasn't doing anything. He was just staring at her dish, his eyes wide, tail still and drip, drip. Drool leaked from his mouth, pooling on the floor. It was disgusting. But also. Yuki flicked her tail, annoyed at herself for what she was about to think. Maybe he wanted some fish flavoured ice cream too. All he had was his usual food. Some some kind of fish flavored wet dog concoction. Yuki looked at her dish, then at coral, then back at her dish. And against her better judgment, she switched places with him. Tonight he could have her dinner and she would finish his. It wasn't ice cream, but it was still fish. And that's the end of our story. Good night. Sleep tight, Sa.