Arrogance

“What have you done?” cried Terpsichor, staring at the bedraggled lump of fur.

“Just taught him a lesson,” growled the god, blustering shamefacedly. “A little humility. No real harm done.”

“No harm? Fool!” Terpsichor rounded on him. “A cat without claws is still a cat. A cat without eyes or ears, without whiskers or tail, without fur or teeth is still a cat, with all that entails. Even a fat eunuch sunning himself in a window still knows that he is a cat, first among all creatures that walk the Earth.”

He paused. “But a cat without pride… is nothing.”