Our story takes place in the last century, in the province of Mato, known throughout the Dominion for its beautiful hospital, Kata Ki. Then, as now, frequent blizzards covered the rocky peaks with a thick blanket of snow, making the area practically impassable. But for wild cats, these harsh lands are their home. So, two epochs ago...

Shaking down fluffy snow from the cedar branches and bursting into ringing laughter, the young cat Lian played hide-and-seek with her friends. Behind her ear gleamed a golden brooch in the shape of a leaf, a gift from the pack. What a carefree day! To be young and alive! However, there was something in the winter air that day, something that called Lian to go deep into the forest. And so she ran and ran, agilely skirting around the snowdrifts and leaping over fallen trees, until she found him, lying there, frozen and hardly breathing...

It's well known that for cats, humans are somewhat rude and clumsy creatures. But this one was different. He was the most beautiful human Lian had ever seen. His eyelashes caught the falling snowflakes, and his purple lips were trembling weakly... Oh gods, he's dying! Lian sank her teeth into the poor fellow's collar and dragged him out of the forest. A few hours later, she reached the outskirts of the city. She went up to the nearest house, knocked on the door with her paws, and rushed back into the safety of the bushes where nobody would see her. Peering out from her hiding place, she noticed that she had dropped her brooch on the porch next to him. But it was too late — hearing some movement nearby, she bolted back into the forest.

Upon returning home, Lian felt a deep ache in her heart that she had never felt before. What was this feeling? Where was it coming from? The image of the frozen man burst into her mind, and she realized that she had fallen in love. How could it be? It's impossible! She knew nothing about the man!

At the very same time, just a few miles away, the man she had saved was waking up with a mysterious sorrow in his heart, a longing for someone he had never met. As soon as Hiroshi — that was his name — was able to stand on two feet, he immediately rushed into the forest, clutching the leaf-shaped golden brooch in his hands. He didn't know what his savior looked like, but for some reason he was certain that he would recognize the girl when he saw her. But for all he wandered, here and there on the forest trails, he encountered nobody except a hunter stalking his prey.

Meanwhile, the days dragged on like torture for Lian, as the aching pain in her heart gradually took complete possession of her. She sat alone in a secluded den, and for the first time in her life resented her species and dreamed of one thing only: to become a human, so she could meet her beloved. Tearful, desperate and exhausted, she curled up and fell asleep.

The following morning, Lian couldn't bring herself to open her eyes for a long time. She didn't want to return to the dullness that awaited her every time she woke up. Finally, feeling that her hand had gone numb under her weight, she sat up and opened her eyes. Her hand!? She jumped up in fright and looked down at herself.

"How can it be? I'm a human!!" Covering herself with a piece of cloth, she rushed outside and ran down to the river, not noticing the cold. Looking into the water at her reflection, Lian saw not her familiar cat form, but a dark-haired woman with a beautiful figure. The only remainders of her true nature were a cute pair of cat ears and a graceful tail. "I must find him!" was the girl's first thought, and set off excitedly for the town. Testing out her new body, she noticed happily that it felt surprisingly natural, and her movements were light and airy.

From behind the edge of the forest, she could already see the roofs of the houses. And then she saw him. Hiroshi had not given up trying to find his savior, and here he was again, preparing to head into the forest, golden brooch in hand. Their eyes met, and they both froze, hardly daring to believe that this was real. But what happened? Why had the joy in his expression suddenly changed into concern?

Hiroshi abruptly sprinted towards her, leaped with all his might, and knocked the girl off of her feet. At the same moment, Lian heard a loud bang from somewhere nearby. Struggling to her feet, she turned towards her lover. He was lying on the ground, looking at her with his head slightly lifted. His eyes twinkled with a smile, and then a second later went dim, and his head fell limply to the ground.

Lian looked up and saw the hunter, smoking gun in his hands. Looking back at Hiroshi, she saw a red stain slowly expanding on his chest. The hunter! He had been tracking her. It was his movements she had noticed when she left Hiroshi on the porch. Lian was his intended target! Hiroshi had seen the killer, understood what was about to happen, and sacrificed himself to save the girl.

The tears froze in her eyes and her breath caught in her throat. But the bitterness of loss quickly gave way to a thirst for revenge. Lian once again turned her gaze to the hunter, who was hastily reloading his rifle. Her eyes turned cold and glassy and, consumed by hatred, she darted at the hunter like an arrow. She instinctively spread out her trembling hands, and from them, sparkling purple spheres of pain began to rain down upon her foe.

The white snow would have been splattered with yet more blood, had it not been for Satori who was walking by with a pack of foxes. He jumped in and restrained Lian. Once she had calmed down, he told her his story and how he had joined the Guardians. He invited her to join them too and use her newfound abilities, born out of love's passion, to serve the Light.

The killer, meanwhile, did not go unpunished. His attempt to land himself such an exotic trophy ended him up in the Strongford court of justice, where it was discovered that he was being driven by the Darkness that had shrouded his mind. After a long process of purification and recovery, he repented and spent the rest of his life trying to atone for his guilt before Lian.