Some creatures possess a light that radiates from within, and I don’t mean that they are perfect, but rather that they have a tender heart. They lack meanness, are deeply empathetic, and have a positive outlook on life, among other beautiful qualities that sometimes attract the very opposite: other creatures or people who lack these qualities are drawn to them like moths to a flame, believing that if they get close enough, they can gain something from it. The problem is that when they realize this light won’t illuminate them but will instead make them more aware of their own darkness—and no one wants to have their darkness exposed—they will try to dim it, ultimately without success.

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However, there are two kinds of luminous creatures: those who are aware of their light and learn to protect it, and those who aren’t—Luminous Cats and Luminous Birds.

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Luminous Birds are unguarded. They are easy to spot but not easy to catch, since they are airy and fleeting, spending their time flying around, submerged in their own world. In a way, that’s what most of the time protects them from being targeted. They rarely end up in such situations because they don’t pay attention to what others are doing; they are too busy picking up little branches, worms—whatever makes them happiest. Yet they are unaware of their light and lack strong abilities to protect it, such as standing up for themselves or setting boundaries.

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Luminous Cats, by contrast, are more elusive and have, at some point, encountered meanness, which made them become guarded and aware of their inner light and how it can attract all kinds of opportunists. They learned that it is their greatest strength, so they protect it fiercely. They remain gentle in appearance—as they are in their hearts—in part because they have even found pleasure in letting people mistake their tenderness for naivety, only to surprise them by showing their claws. They are patient, observant, and lack the need to prove themselves—which often works in their favor, since it makes the strike totally unexpected, something they enjoy. Encountering a Luminous Cat is never a good sign; they only allow themselves to be seen when the moment calls for it.

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Despite the meanness and darkness both can encounter in the world, they never stop radiating light, because it doesn’t depend on external circumstances; it comes from within. Any attempt to do them wrong only makes them stronger and more luminous.