"Me, leave with you?" KuliKuli repeated, baffled by what she just heard.
Felix stepped in quickly. "She's not going anywhere, especially with you."
The Nekomata grinded her teeth, glaring back at him. "You did well in keeping her safe, but now it's our turn. We need to take her as far away from here as possible."
"Not going to happen." Felix remained adamant in his response, crossing his arms. "She's safe where she is, taking her back into the wilderness would do her harm. Besides, you all may be her family to her, but you're strangers to us."
"Good, then as strangers we may depart and move on without ever seeing each other again. Now back off."
"Or else what, you're going to fight me?" Felix dared her.
Na'Vi growled and bared her teeth. "You stupid humans, always thinking you're above us."
"No one is saying we're above anyone." Janette interjected, raising her arms and stepping between the two in an act to keep them apart.
"I think I'm above this one." Reta smirked as she stood by Felix's side.
Janette rolled her eyes. "Not helping!"
"Just try it, see what happens this time when we use our claws." Dimyri chimed in, locking eyes with Reta and flexing her paw to reveal her claws for all to see.
"Okay, enough!" Janette shouted, stomping her foot down. "Everyone, back off and shut up! All of this tempting each other and egging for a fight, we're above this aren't we? We're not animals here, we can be civil. Now just... let's all just take a moment to gather ourselves before we start this again."
Emyri leaned back, impressed with her before gesturing for Na'Vi to step back. She did so, turning back to look at Felix again before walking back to the other side of the room. He felt uneasy when they locked eyes, as if for a moment he caught wind of how she truly felt. Those weren't any words of anger thrown in a fit of rage, their was malice in them. At first, he decided it would be best to keep distant from that one, but he was swiftly reminded of her history with his partner when he noticed her glance over his shoulder where KuliKuli stood.
It became apparent that he and Na'Vi were going to be seeing each other often then.
Felix was the first to break the silence between them. "Look, we can talk but we don't have to go at each other's throats. You're KuliKuli's family, yes?"
"It's Nityri, but yes." Affirmed Syri.
"I prefer KuliKuli." She reminded them, making her sister's ears drop as lowered her head. "Why attack us then, you could have just knocked and introduced yourselves?"
"I... we..." Emyri froze with her mouth left ajar, searching for a response but coming up short. She looked back to her daughters as they shrugged back, only for her to face the group with a nervous smile and a clap of her paws. "We obviously didn't do that."
"So you thought it best to attack? Not even I am so eager for a fight." Reta commented.
"I guess we thought you were dangerous, but..." Dimyri trailed off, looking at her sister for support. Both girls didn't seem to have a solid response here.
"To be clear, we were observing you for a while now, we hadn't agreed on whether you seemed safe or not. Once your friend there caught our scent, our options of hiding seemed moot by that point." Emyri answered.
"So, that explains you three but what about you? You assaulted me, broke my window and made a mess of my kitchen and dining room. I'm still waiting for an apology!" Janette huffed.
"We can help clean up... maybe?" Syri spoke softly, her eyes darting between Janette and her mother.
Her mother sighed and stepped toward the center of the room.
"We aren't looking to settle Mr..."
"Felix."
"Yes, thank you for the opportunity Felix, and for taking care of my daughter. However, we are not looking to settle or to parlay, we are here to ask for her back."
"But I don't want to leave, and I don't like you talking about me like if I was a toy instead of a Nekomata." KuliKuli frowned.
"She's staying, and if you push any harder then you'll be leaving instead." Felix replied, standing his ground.
"I feared you would say that, but it's not a decision for you to make. She needs us as much as we need her."
"I don't think so," Janette retaliated, "She's lived with us for several months and even longer with him. She's in good hands, you can't just come in and take her even if you're her family."
"But she needs us, she's in trouble!" Dimyri pleaded.
"Sis!" Syri squealed, covering her mouth out of shock.
"It's true! And they aren't letting her go thinking we are bad kitties, when we're not. We never hurt anyone, well not anyone we knew, but no one got hurt badly."
"That's not true!" Syri intervened, "We may have stolen, scratched, scared off and threatened, but we never hurt anyone who didn't deserve it!"
"Dimyri! Syri!"
Both girls swallowed before remaining silent. Monster girl or not, it seems all children dared not to anger their mother.
Emyri approached the young man who stepped back with caution. She raised her paw to him in a handshake notion, with Felix looking back to his friends with an uncertain look. Reta narrowed her gaze while Janette merely shrugged. KuliKuli sat in bed and watched, nodding her head for him to continue.
He reluctantly shook her paw, awkwardly staring as Emyri raised his hand and rubbed her other paw over it in small strokes.
"Your touch, it is soft and inviting. Feels like the nicest silk, the fluffiest of fur, I can feel how she drew comfort from you." She smiled, lifting her gaze and locking eyes with him. Her expression changed to a much sadder look, like what she was about to say next caused her great pain. "We may not have arrived with the greatest of introductions, but we truly mean you no harm. Harm has been passed onto us, and I regret to say Nityri has inherited this conflict as well. She is in danger, as her mate you must understand what it means to protect someone you love."
Felix nodded only to be pulled in to a sudden embrace.
"I meant my gratitude, every word and more as they fail to express my debt to you. You took her in, kept her safe, and in return she recognized your love and felt a connection to you. You sealed your bond the moment you made love to her and she to you."
He held her back, feeling her heart pulse beneath her breast. Her chest began to quiver, he noticed, when she began to draw breath. But as he looked past her shoulder, he spotted Na'Vi as she looked away, uncomfortable with Emyri's words.
"My regret will forever be missing the moment my dearest discovered true love. Now if only I can manage to be rid of the other two, that would make me truly happy." She smirked.
"Hey!" Both siblings shouted from behind her.
"Oh hush, grown ups are talking." She chuckled under the fuss from her two girls, returning her attention on him. "Please forgive us for the bad news, but we came here to find our dearest and rescue her. It's... not something we are proud of but-"
"Rescue her from what?" He asked.
Emyri closed her eyes momentarily before producing a soft sigh.
"Do you know what we are? You understand that it is difficult for us to reveal ourselves to others in hopes of discovering a mate. We tend to be... shy creatures, you normally won't realize that cat is a Nekomata for years even. We just happen to be that shy."
Janette seemed to acknowledge her words with understanding, recognizing what she was saying aligned with what she read about Nekomata's in her books. It's true that the Nekomata prefer to remain disguised in their feline forms primarily out of safety and shyness. It is both a survival mechanism and a way to preserve themselves. To reveal their true form to someone usually means that they've picked that individual as their mate.
A thought that intrigued her more as she glanced at KuliKuli briefly. Perhaps the little cat girl was moving on instinct when she found Felix, or when he found her. Or was it that she did so unknowingly due to her memory loss?
"Which tells me Nityri trusts you with her life if she chose you as her mate. We are careful creatures, but... even we have slip ups."
"Get to the point." Reta barked, gaining a scowl from the two cat siblings and from Na'Vi.
"My point is, we are being hunted. There is a Monster Hunter searching for us, he has been on our tails for months now and I am afraid he has caught wind of a cat girl in here. We don't know what else to do but run."
Everyone stayed quiet, such words flowing over their heads as they felt uncertain what to do, how to help or if they can help at all. Janette glimpsed over to Reta, noting that she too seemed lost with words. They were aware that someone was pursuing KuliKuli before, and Janette had told them about the group of soldiers who visited her shop to interrogate her. But all this time was spent to prevent the inevitable, as it seems that a Monster Hunter would be coming whether they liked it or not.
If a Monster Hunter is coming to Kershin Market, then it would be a matter of time until he finds the rest of them too.
Now Janette feared for her own safety, wondering if he would find her just as the other men did.
They're all in trouble now.
Felix swallowed hard. "I don't know if-"
"Could you please think it through? We asked nicely and we are being super honest." Dimyri pleaded to him with her paws together.
KuliKuli quietly stepped forward, approaching her mother until she stood before her while the others watched in silence.
"Mother? We need to talk, just us two in private."
"Me, leave with you?" KuliKuli repeated, baffled by what she just heard.
Felix stepped in quickly. "She's not going anywhere, especially with you."
The Nekomata grinded her teeth, glaring back at him. "You did well in keeping her safe, but now it's our turn. We need to take her as far away from here as possible."
"Not going to happen." Felix remained adamant in his response, crossing his arms. "She's safe where she is, taking her back into the wilderness would do her harm. Besides, you all may be her family to her, but you're strangers to us."
"Good, then as strangers we may depart and move on without ever seeing each other again. Now back off."
"Or else what, you're going to fight me?" Felix dared her.
Na'Vi growled and bared her teeth. "You stupid humans, always thinking you're above us."
"No one is saying we're above anyone." Janette interjected, raising her arms and stepping between the two in an act to keep them apart.
"I think I'm above this one." Reta smirked as she stood by Felix's side.
Janette rolled her eyes. "Not helping!"
"Just try it, see what happens this time when we use our claws." Dimyri chimed in, locking eyes with Reta and flexing her paw to reveal her claws for all to see.
"Okay, enough!" Janette shouted, stomping her foot down. "Everyone, back off and shut up! All of this tempting each other and egging for a fight, we're above this aren't we? We're not animals here, we can be civil. Now just... let's all just take a moment to gather ourselves before we start this again."
Emyri leaned back, impressed with her before gesturing for Na'Vi to step back. She did so, turning back to look at Felix again before walking back to the other side of the room. He felt uneasy when they locked eyes, as if for a moment he caught wind of how she truly felt. Those weren't any words of anger thrown in a fit of rage, their was malice in them. At first, he decided it would be best to keep distant from that one, but he was swiftly reminded of her history with his partner when he noticed her glance over his shoulder where KuliKuli stood.
It became apparent that he and Na'Vi were going to be seeing each other often then.
Felix was the first to break the silence between them. "Look, we can talk but we don't have to go at each other's throats. You're KuliKuli's family, yes?"
"It's Nityri, but yes." Affirmed Syri.
"I prefer KuliKuli." She reminded them, making her sister's ears drop as lowered her head. "Why attack us then, you could have just knocked and introduced yourselves?"
"I... we..." Emyri froze with her mouth left ajar, searching for a response but coming up short. She looked back to her daughters as they shrugged back, only for her to face the group with a nervous smile and a clap of her paws. "We obviously didn't do that."
"So you thought it best to attack? Not even I am so eager for a fight." Reta commented.
"I guess we thought you were dangerous, but..." Dimyri trailed off, looking at her sister for support. Both girls didn't seem to have a solid response here.
"To be clear, we were observing you for a while now, we hadn't agreed on whether you seemed safe or not. Once your friend there caught our scent, our options of hiding seemed moot by that point." Emyri answered.
"So, that explains you three but what about you? You assaulted me, broke my window and made a mess of my kitchen and dining room. I'm still waiting for an apology!" Janette huffed.
"We can help clean up... maybe?" Syri spoke softly, her eyes darting between Janette and her mother.
Her mother sighed and stepped toward the center of the room.
"We aren't looking to settle Mr..."
"Felix."
"Yes, thank you for the opportunity Felix, and for taking care of my daughter. However, we are not looking to settle or to parlay, we are here to ask for her back."
"But I don't want to leave, and I don't like you talking about me like if I was a toy instead of a Nekomata." KuliKuli frowned.
"She's staying, and if you push any harder then you'll be leaving instead." Felix replied, standing his ground.
"I feared you would say that, but it's not a decision for you to make. She needs us as much as we need her."
"I don't think so," Janette retaliated, "She's lived with us for several months and even longer with him. She's in good hands, you can't just come in and take her even if you're her family."
"But she needs us, she's in trouble!" Dimyri pleaded.
"Sis!" Syri squealed, covering her mouth out of shock.
"It's true! And they aren't letting her go thinking we are bad kitties, when we're not. We never hurt anyone, well not anyone we knew, but no one got hurt badly."
"That's not true!" Syri intervened, "We may have stolen, scratched, scared off and threatened, but we never hurt anyone who didn't deserve it!"
"Dimyri! Syri!"
Both girls swallowed before remaining silent. Monster girl or not, it seems all children dared not to anger their mother.
Emyri approached the young man who stepped back with caution. She raised her paw to him in a handshake notion, with Felix looking back to his friends with an uncertain look. Reta narrowed her gaze while Janette merely shrugged. KuliKuli sat in bed and watched, nodding her head for him to continue.
He reluctantly shook her paw, awkwardly staring as Emyri raised his hand and rubbed her other paw over it in small strokes.
"Your touch, it is soft and inviting. Feels like the nicest silk, the fluffiest of fur, I can feel how she drew comfort from you." She smiled, lifting her gaze and locking eyes with him. Her expression changed to a much sadder look, like what she was about to say next caused her great pain. "We may not have arrived with the greatest of introductions, but we truly mean you no harm. Harm has been passed onto us, and I regret to say Nityri has inherited this conflict as well. She is in danger, as her mate you must understand what it means to protect someone you love."
Felix nodded only to be pulled in to a sudden embrace.
"I meant my gratitude, every word and more as they fail to express my debt to you. You took her in, kept her safe, and in return she recognized your love and felt a connection to you. You sealed your bond the moment you made love to her and she to you."
He held her back, feeling her heart pulse beneath her breast. Her chest began to quiver, he noticed, when she began to draw breath. But as he looked past her shoulder, he spotted Na'Vi as she looked away, uncomfortable with Emyri's words.
"My regret will forever be missing the moment my dearest discovered true love. Now if only I can manage to be rid of the other two, that would make me truly happy." She smirked.
"Hey!" Both siblings shouted from behind her.
"Oh hush, grown ups are talking." She chuckled under the fuss from her two girls, returning her attention on him. "Please forgive us for the bad news, but we came here to find our dearest and rescue her. It's... not something we are proud of but-"
"Rescue her from what?" He asked.
Emyri closed her eyes momentarily before producing a soft sigh.
"Do you know what we are? You understand that it is difficult for us to reveal ourselves to others in hopes of discovering a mate. We tend to be... shy creatures, you normally won't realize that cat is a Nekomata for years even. We just happen to be that shy."
Janette seemed to acknowledge her words with understanding, recognizing what she was saying aligned with what she read about Nekomata's in her books. It's true that the Nekomata prefer to remain disguised in their feline forms primarily out of safety and shyness. It is both a survival mechanism and a way to preserve themselves. To reveal their true form to someone usually means that they've picked that individual as their mate.
A thought that intrigued her more as she glanced at KuliKuli briefly. Perhaps the little cat girl was moving on instinct when she found Felix, or when he found her. Or was it that she did so unknowingly due to her memory loss?
"Which tells me Nityri trusts you with her life if she chose you as her mate. We are careful creatures, but... even we have slip ups."
"Get to the point." Reta barked, gaining a scowl from the two cat siblings and from Na'Vi.
"My point is, we are being hunted. There is a Monster Hunter searching for us, he has been on our tails for months now and I am afraid he has caught wind of a cat girl in here. We don't know what else to do but run."
Everyone stayed quiet, such words flowing over their heads as they felt uncertain what to do, how to help or if they can help at all. Janette glimpsed over to Reta, noting that she too seemed lost with words. They were aware that someone was pursuing KuliKuli before, and Janette had told them about the group of soldiers who visited her shop to interrogate her. But all this time was spent to prevent the inevitable, as it seems that a Monster Hunter would be coming whether they liked it or not.
If a Monster Hunter is coming to Kershin Market, then it would be a matter of time until he finds the rest of them too.
Now Janette feared for her own safety, wondering if he would find her just as the other men did.
They're all in trouble now.
Felix swallowed hard. "I don't know if-"
"Could you please think it through? We asked nicely and we are being super honest." Dimyri pleaded to him with her paws together.
KuliKuli quietly stepped forward, approaching her mother until she stood before her while the others watched in silence.
"Mother? We need to talk, just us two in private."
