When Clark saw his new bike, he got so excited that he almost floating again.
And as soon as he realized this he eagerly hopped onto the seat, and Jonathan held onto the back of the bike, showing him how to ride.
Martha also came out from the kitchen.
She stood to the side, smiling as she watched the father and son.
Soren, meanwhile, bounced around their feet with ease and made a quick leap right into the bike's front basket.
The family's laughter and joy floated like musical notes across the farm as the sun set.
...
Clark quickly learned how to ride the bike and happily pedaled in circles around the barn.
Jonathan stood with his hands on his hips next to Martha, but his expression showed a hint of worry.
Martha noticed right away, "Jonathan, what's wrong? You look like something's bothering you."
Jonathan shook his head, "It's nothing... It's just that we should tell Clark not to ride his bike around town for a while. When I was in town today, I heard people talking about sightings of werewolves in the woods."
Martha gasped and covered her mouth, "Werewolves? I've never heard of werewolves in Smallville."
Jonathan sighed, "Ever since that meteor shower a few years ago, strange things have been happening more and more in Smallville."
Martha fell silent at his words.
Both of them knew the truth about the meteor shower — it was when their son had arrived in Smallville.
Over the years, the town had seen an increase in strange occurrences, drawing a lot of attention from outsiders.
They were always afraid that someone might discover Clark's true identity.
So, they never spoke about the meteor shower and made sure no one knew the connection between Clark and that event.
But they wondered how much longer they could keep this secret.
Clark's enthusiasm for his bike lasted several weeks.
Despite Martha and Jonathan constantly warning him not to ride too far, Clark couldn't help himself.
He would barely touch the pedals — really, just a light push — and suddenly, he'd be speeding 30 or 40 miles away.
Every time that happened, Soren who is sitting in the basket with his fur standing on end, had to smack Clark's hands with his little paws to get him to stop.
Clark was like a loyal little soldier to his kitten.
As soon as Soren tapped his hand, Clark would obediently hit the brakes and then head back home, always with Soren in tow.
At the end of the month, Jonathan became busier with his work at the town factory.
He decided not to continue working at Luthor's factory and was trying to finish all his tasks before heading back to the farm to take care of things.
Martha was also busy selling the farm's jam in town.
Because of this, they didn't come home that night, leaving Clark alone.
But Clark wasn't scared at all.
He had Soren with him!
After eating a plate of apple pie Martha had left in the kitchen, Clark played with Soren in his room with building blocks and toy planes.
Even though Soren liked to knock down the building blocks Clark carefully stacked (Soren swore it was just a cat's instinct), Clark wasn't upset.
He still happily continued building.
Soren who is bored and curled up beside Clark, was almost falling asleep.
Suddenly, his sharp cat ears perked up.
Soren raised his head, his almond-shaped eyes filled with curiosity as he looked out the window.
He heard some strange noises, like heavy footsteps and the flapping of birds.
It was coming from the chicken coop near the barn!
Soren jumped up immediately.
Could it be chicken thieves?
He thought he needed to check it quickly and make sure the farm's chickens weren't stolen!
Soren bit Clark's clothes, signaling him to come along.
Clark had also heard the strange noises, but being so young, he didn't know about chicken thieves.
He thought something might be wrong with the barn and followed Soren downstairs.
The farm was pitch black at night, but the moon was exceptionally full and bright, with a ring of soft moonlight around its edges.
Clark moved quickly, and in no time, he and Soren were outside the chicken coop.
Soren couldn't wait to jump out of Clark's arms and saw a tall, dark figure reaching into the coop to grab a chicken.
"Meow—!"
Soren hissed loudly, his fur bristling.
The figure froze for a moment, startled by the noise.
Clark saw the figure too.
Without hesitation, he waved his tiny fists and shouted, "Don't hurt our chickens!"
The combined force of the boy and the cat actually intimidated the figure.
It stumbled back a few steps and then ran away toward the barn.
The moonlight outside the barn illuminated the figure, making it clear what they were dealing with—a hairy, humanoid monster with sharp claws, blood-red eyes, and fangs, carrying a chicken!
What is that thing?
Soren was shocked.
After living as a cat for over a year, he had almost lost his sense of danger.
He didn't expect to encounter such a creature at the Kent farm.
Were such mutated creatures really showing up in Smallville?
He meowed louder, sensing the danger, but Clark was already charging ahead—he wasn't going to let anyone steal his family's chickens!
"Don't run!" Clark shouted in his little voice.
Seeing the creature fleeing outside the farm, he grabbed his bicycle, put Soren in the basket, and rode off after it.
"Meow meow meow!"
Soren meowed loudly too, trying to boost their intimidation factor.
No matter what, Martha's chickens could not be stolen!
He swore he wouldn't let any chicken thief succeed!
No matter who they were!
Clark pedaled furiously, chasing after the figure.
The thief moved incredibly fast; even with Clark riding his bike, he couldn't keep up.
Soren was more sure than ever that the thief was definitely not a normal creature!
The thief ran straight into the Antok Forest in the eastern part of Smallville.