There was a young man of the village whose mother sent him on a long journey. "This cat catches no mice. You must take the animal to my sister, who lives at the base of the mountain. She knows herbs which will coax the cat to accept its own nature as a hunter. Only a stupid son would bring home a cat that doesn't know how to be a cat."

The next thing Blue realized was that the colors had changed, and it had become very cold. He found himself gliding high above a craggy landscape, with his flippers pushing gently against a thick ether. Looking down, he saw that shadowy puddles of a dark and oily substance spotted the landscape, mirroring an orange sky.