They say for every person there’s a perfect pet, a completely-compatible companion to love and care for and share life’s ups and downs with. And depending on who you are and what you do, the Longshore Lanterncat may be the pet for you! The Longshore Lanterncats- often called “lanterns” for short- are a breed of feline found along oceanic coastal regions, the cuddly critters particularly notable for their sunny dispositions and unique, bright coats of ethereal fire emanating from their shorter coats of soft, patterned fur. Lanterns love fish and can often be found prowling up and down a sandy shoreline looking for a snack. As the lantern’s coat is a spiritual fire rather than a product of chemical combustion, these fleet-footed felines retain their illuminating glow when they dive underwater, enabling them to better see their surroundings in the nighttime tides. Lanterns are great swimmers, and when they’re underwater their flickering flaming coat takes on a softer coronal glow, the glimmering sheen of ocean salt sparkling all around them. Despite being light and pleasant to touch, the ethereal coat of the lantern acts as a survival mechanism as well- while it won’t burn physical matter the Longshore Lanterncat’s flickering coat warms the spiritual senses instead, and if it’s threatened enough its coat will bristle and burn hotter, dissuading pursuers with core-deep conflagration.
While a cat that never stops glowing may not be for everyone, there are certain folks in this worldly cornucopia of creatures and cultures for whom the Longshore Lanterncat is a perfect match. Sailors spend long nights afloat at sea, for example, where supplies are limited and the only ambient light shines down from above. Since a lantern’s fire doesn’t ignite wood or cloth they can trot about above or belowdecks, piercing the lonesome darkness with the light of their loving companionship, and given their appetite for fish they’re fairly easy to feed during long voyages. Some folks don’t live completely diurnally, and during their nocturnal waking hours a luminous feline provides a welcome glow in a colder household. Many of the spectral races and ghostly creatures roaming the world have also shown a particular fondness for the lanterncat- seeing as ghosts and ghostoids are themselves quite ethereal, the soft warmth given off by the lantern’s coat is particularly pleasing, providing balmy comfort for a weary soul. Outside of shorelines lanterncats have been known to make homes in graveyards, often resting near the tombstones of the newly-buried. Seeing a lanterncat lay near a fresh grave is considered a good omen, as whatever troubles a loved one may have endured in life will surely be soothed in the life hereafter.
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