Carefree and confident, the cat wandered through the park. It was early, just after dawn, and no people were about except for a man the cat knew to be kind who was sleeping soundly on a bench. The cat could not smell any dogs or raccoons. It could hear only the rustle of trees and the scurry and flap of pigeons, sparrows, and rodents, one of whom, the cat mused, would make a fine breakfast.

In the pleasantness of the morning, the cat nearly found itself purring as it sauntered through the mottled sunlight on the grass and path. Finally, on a low-hanging branch of an ancient, sprawling maple tree, the cat saw what it sought. A large, meaty squirrel, evidently a dominant specimen, stood erect on the drooping bough wiping its paws. The squirrel did not notice the cat until the cat was within pouncing distance, crouched and ready, eyes narrowed on its target. It was too late for the squirrel to run, but it didn’t flinch or tremble. Calmly, it looked the cat in the eye.

"I wouldn’t try to attack me if I were you, cat," the squirrel said.

The cat chuckled.

"I promise you’ll regret it," said the squirrel. "I’m more than I seem to be."

The cat laughed again and prepared to pounce.

"I wasn’t born yesterday," it said.

Suddenly, the squirrel’s outline blurred as if a thick haze had enveloped it. Then, just as abruptly, it came back into focus but, instead of a squirrel, the cat saw a giant boar in its place. The maple branch bowed further, straining under the greater weight.

"You see," said the once-squirrel-now-boar. "What did I tell you?"

"Very impressive," said the cat, nodding.

The boar, seeing the cat relax its tensed hind legs, transformed back into a squirrel and resumed cleaning its paws. After a few moments, without warning, the cat crouched low and began to spring but, before it was able to leave the ground, the squirrel had again become a boar.

"You’ll never catch me by surprise," said the squirrel-boar superciliously, "so I would appreciate if you would leave me alone. You can’t eat me in this form. I’m much too big. And I’d like to get back to my grooming, if you don’t mind."

"Tell me one thing," said the cat, relaxing again and beginning to switch its tail. "Were you born a squirrel or a boar? Which is your natural form?"

The squirrel-boar snorted rudely through its thick, hairy snout.

"I’m a squirrel, of course," it replied haughtily in its deep boar voice.

All at once the cat blurred around the edges and became a tiger. It roared so loudly that the maple tree shook. Then it leapt and slew the boar with one great swipe of its giant claw.

"And I’m a cat," it growled, settling down to enjoy its feast.