Cat-o-the-Void
The cat-o-the-void is a creature in Halfling folklore who guards children during the nighttime. It is usually depicted in children's art and storybooks as a pair of golden eyes in an otherwise black space, or sometimes as an indistinct black blob with the same golden eyes in the middle of it. A cat-o-the-void lives in every home, protecting its young ones from everything from rats and spiders to being stolen away as a Changeling, depending on the story.
Historical Basis
In halfling culture, black cats are considered to be good luck, especially for families with young children. The cat-o-the-void is likely not based on a supernatural creature. Instead, it is a tale told to young halfling children in order to get them used to the presence of cats (as halfling toddlers are not much larger than a medium-sized cat). Cats were particularly respected in the earliest halfling societies during the Age of Anxiety because of their ability to eradicate mice, locusts, and other pests from the already-small supplies of grain during times of famine and pestilence.
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