"Jay, do you by chance happen to have any safeguard or defense against intruders?" Felix asked.
Janette rolled her eyes, tilting her hip to one side. "Of course I do. Hidden buried spike traps under the front door rug, a lever that triggers some mechanism that covers the windows with a metal plate coated with dragon scales, oh have I mentioned the sling on the balcony? I'm sure we can use that to throw water balloons, that would surely tell the Hunter that we're not fooling around."
Felix and Janette stood together facing her mansion from outside. KuliKuli and Na'Vi were preoccupied with placing foliage around the bottom windows where they were easily accessible to intruders. Small clumps of vines and roses were tucked into the window sill carefully, feeling a few pricks from a thorn or two. Na'Vi held one sac and tore a corner open, gently shaking it so that its white powder sprinkled onto the vines. KuliKuli watched her complete this process, the both of them nodding in agreement before moving onto the next window.
Norowa Reta took charge of reinforcing the front doors, a task she preferred doing alone. None of the girls bothered to complain, feeling comfortable with her choice although Felix recalled the looks on the sisters faces when they agreed to it with a much too enthusiastic nod. It would seem that Reta's brief interception of the two cat girls which sent them rolling down the stairs in their attempt to sneak inside may have left a lasting impact on their minds. Janette watched her carefully, having told her before to just be careful not to leave any scratches around the floor, walls or ceiling when she finished. Although the battle between KuliKuli and Na'Vi resulted in the dining room tables destruction, it would come to their advantage with Reta using its spare parts to clumsily build in a latch to the double doors after several hours of work.
Syri and Dimyri were in charge of digging. According to Emyri's commentary about her sisters, they can dig fast and well. So that was their role, to run around the tree fields surrounding the mansion and dig dozens of holes wide enough to snag a foot and deep enough to crack any bones.
"We should add some thorny vines to trace the surrounding of the hole, really dig into the limb when they try to pull their foot out." Felix commented.
Emyri's ears shot up as she jumped in to intervene, "I-I really don't think such violence would be all too necessary here, I mean if he steps into one it can already lead to a potential leg break. Isn't that enough?"
Reta snorted and shook her head. "Were we to get lucky, his leg would snap in two and the poison from the powdered vines would take effect as they enter the open wound, directly into his bloodstream. That would rid us of this Hunter in a few short hours should he not have any antitoxicin in hand."
Emyri's face turned pale as she shuddered at the thought. "Please, just the hole enough will suffice. No spikes and no poison!"
Na'Vi didn't seem to agree with the idea. "It would be a fitting end, perhaps that can save us the trouble of-"
"Na'Vi please, not today." Emyri raised her voice as she turned to face her, startling the young Nekomata. "Just, please. Okay?"
Na'Vi stepped back and hung her head, keeping quiet. That was the end of the ordeal from earlier that day. In truth, Felix felt a bit guilty from introducing the idea after witnessing Emyri's objection. Did it make him seem frightening for considering it? He hoped not, she may still be a stranger but she is also his love's mother. He hoped to leave a good impression on her in the short time they may share together.
"Ow! Hey, you stepped on my tail!"
"Well scoot over and make some room, you're so clingy right now."
"Clingy? I'm keeping my eyes down here where I'm digging. You're the one with your head in the clouds!"
"Better in the clouds then up Mom's butt!"
"Uuuugh, you're such a brat! At least she and I have a butt, where's your butt? It's as flat as a plank of wood!"
"Bitch!"
Felix and Janette spun around, shielding the sun from their eyes and watching the two siblings roll around each other screaming and growling while throwing their paws on each other. In a moment, Emyri sprinted out from the house in a flash, running on all fours with the agility and prowess of a wild cat. In under a minute, both cat girls were gasping and expressing the pain of their mother pulling them by their tails. The vein on her temple throbbed as she dragged the two feral cats behind her. pushing them away from each other.
"Mom, you weren't there. She was crowding around, hogging all the room!" Syri panted while she shot daggers at her sister.
Dimryi groaned and shook her head. "You can be such a spoiled brat, if you would just focus on our work and stop focusing on someone else-!"
"Both of you are to be silent." Emyri stated, glaring between her daughters. "I don't want to hear another word. We have a Hunter coming for us and you two still find a way to throw fits. Dimyri you need to grow up, and Syri you need to behave. Now I'm going to leave and you two are going back to work, do I make myself clear?"
"But mom-"
"Do I make myself clear?" Emyri repeated with a raised tone.
Both sisters sighed and shook their head in confirmation.
"Good. If you can't say anything good, better to stay quiet. I don't want to see you fighting again." Emyri waited as her daughters reluctantly continued to return to their work, digging out another hole and covering it with leaves and shrubs.
Felix and Janette watched as Emyri brushed her silver hair and slicked it behind her, walking past them but not without giving him a smile on the side. He smiled back, feeling a nudge from his friend.
"Careful not to get too close." Janette snickered.
"It's not like that, I think." He turned back and caught Emyri's tails swinging with each step she took. "There is definitely a resemblance."
"A resemblance to what?" KuliKuli asked, startling him as she appeared by his side.
"N-nothing!" He quickly replied, freezing in place. "Are you guys finished?"
"Uh-huh!" She nodded enthusiastically, with Na'Vi glaring behind him.
"Okay, let's see." He rubbed his chin and tapped his foot, the wrinkle in his brow quivering as he pondered of what their next step is. "I think... I think that might do for now."
He looked to Janette for her input, but she shrugged in return. "Yea, that'll work for now. We'll be safe indoor for now, just so long as we stay together."
"After we barricade the dining room window." Janette suggested, crossing her arms and turning to KuliKuli and Na'i. "You two can get to work on that."
"With what wood?" KuliKuli pointed out, "Wolfy used the table for the doors."
"Crud, you're right." Janette sighed with a facepalm. "Fuck, we'll have to keep watch for that then."
"I can step out tomorrow and grab some logs from the cabin. Would be a good time to check in on the livestock, in fact... we can go there to hide for some time-"
"No." Janette shook her head. "This is my home, my parents home, it's not something I'm just leaving behind."
"Okay okay, that's fine." He stated, raising his hands. "Just an option."
"Thanks. Let's just focus on getting through tonight with this Hunter on us." She turned to KuliKuli and Na'Vi. "You guys can help the other two finish up quickly for now."
"Right, on it!" KuliKuli nodded, scurrying off with Na'Vi slowly following behind her.
As Felix turned to walk away, Janette reached for his arm and pulled him aside. "What's wrong?"
"Doesn't it strike you as odd that Emyri didn't mention the soldiers of all people coming for them?"
Felix pulled back, stunned from her words. "That could just mean she didn't know."
"Yea, maybe. But even her daughters. That one Dimyri seemed sketchy when I asked why they have a Hunter on them."
"They have a Hunter, a Monster Hunter. They're Monster Girls, it's not that difficult to believe why he's after them." Felix argued.
Janette sighed and looked behind them briefly. "I wish I was as gullible as you are, maybe then my life would be a lot less stressful. Felix, all I'm saying is that they're not giving any clear answers about this."
"You don't think they're who they say they are?" He asked.
"I've no doubt they are her family, the resemblance is there. What I'm saying is that there's a reason why the Hunter is after them."
"Well you met the Hunter, didn't he say?"
She shook her head with a disappointed look. "No, I tried but it's hard to get that kind of information without cluing him in about us."
"Well I can just ask her-"
"Careful with that!" She cautioned, "I mean you saw what one of them did when she was in a bad mood. I don't want all four of them angry, they outnumber us by one. I'm not a fighter if you can't tell. I can beat prices but I can't beat people up."
"Well, maybe you should try training with Reta?"
She sighed and shook her head. "Just focus okay? Keep an eye on them for now, better to believe we're on their side."
Felix leaned back. "That may not be fair, KuliKuli wouldn't like us suspecting them. I'm not keeping this a secret from her if you're wondering."
"That's fine, tell her. Reta agrees with me."
He frowned. "Wait, Reta thinks this too?"
"Shush-sh! Keep your voice down, yes she knows. We spoke about this when we went to Farmer's Den."
"So that's why you took her."
Janette looked insulted. "I took her for protection in case we ran into trouble, which paid off mind you. We just happened to come across that conversation when we got to talking to make the trip shorter, that's all."
"Uh-huh, yea. Look, I don't know how I feel about this. We just agreed to work together and now you're saying we should suspect them."
"All I'm saying is to pay attention, like if they do anything weird or out of the ordinary."
"They're cat girls, everything they do is out of the ordinary." He argued back, with Syri and Dimyri wrestling each other over an apple on the ground several yards away.
Janette turned to them and scratched her head. "Fair enough."
"Look, we'll talk more about this tomorrow okay? Just... one day at a time for now." He pushed past her and walked toward the house, leaving Janette standing awkwardly by herself. She turned back to see KuliKuli jumped in and snagged the apple in her mouth, climbing up the tallest tree with her siblings meowing and climbing up after her.
She sighed and shook her head.
Cat Girls.
"Jay, do you by chance happen to have any safeguard or defense against intruders?" Felix asked.
Janette rolled her eyes, tilting her hip to one side. "Of course I do. Hidden buried spike traps under the front door rug, a lever that triggers some mechanism that covers the windows with a metal plate coated with dragon scales, oh have I mentioned the sling on the balcony? I'm sure we can use that to throw water balloons, that would surely tell the Hunter that we're not fooling around."
Felix and Janette stood together facing her mansion from outside. KuliKuli and Na'Vi were preoccupied with placing foliage around the bottom windows where they were easily accessible to intruders. Small clumps of vines and roses were tucked into the window sill carefully, feeling a few pricks from a thorn or two. Na'Vi held one sac and tore a corner open, gently shaking it so that its white powder sprinkled onto the vines. KuliKuli watched her complete this process, the both of them nodding in agreement before moving onto the next window.
Norowa Reta took charge of reinforcing the front doors, a task she preferred doing alone. None of the girls bothered to complain, feeling comfortable with her choice although Felix recalled the looks on the sisters faces when they agreed to it with a much too enthusiastic nod. It would seem that Reta's brief interception of the two cat girls which sent them rolling down the stairs in their attempt to sneak inside may have left a lasting impact on their minds. Janette watched her carefully, having told her before to just be careful not to leave any scratches around the floor, walls or ceiling when she finished. Although the battle between KuliKuli and Na'Vi resulted in the dining room tables destruction, it would come to their advantage with Reta using its spare parts to clumsily build in a latch to the double doors after several hours of work.
Syri and Dimyri were in charge of digging. According to Emyri's commentary about her sisters, they can dig fast and well. So that was their role, to run around the tree fields surrounding the mansion and dig dozens of holes wide enough to snag a foot and deep enough to crack any bones.
"We should add some thorny vines to trace the surrounding of the hole, really dig into the limb when they try to pull their foot out." Felix commented.
Emyri's ears shot up as she jumped in to intervene, "I-I really don't think such violence would be all too necessary here, I mean if he steps into one it can already lead to a potential leg break. Isn't that enough?"
Reta snorted and shook her head. "Were we to get lucky, his leg would snap in two and the poison from the powdered vines would take effect as they enter the open wound, directly into his bloodstream. That would rid us of this Hunter in a few short hours should he not have any antitoxicin in hand."
Emyri's face turned pale as she shuddered at the thought. "Please, just the hole enough will suffice. No spikes and no poison!"
Na'Vi didn't seem to agree with the idea. "It would be a fitting end, perhaps that can save us the trouble of-"
"Na'Vi please, not today." Emyri raised her voice as she turned to face her, startling the young Nekomata. "Just, please. Okay?"
Na'Vi stepped back and hung her head, keeping quiet. That was the end of the ordeal from earlier that day. In truth, Felix felt a bit guilty from introducing the idea after witnessing Emyri's objection. Did it make him seem frightening for considering it? He hoped not, she may still be a stranger but she is also his love's mother. He hoped to leave a good impression on her in the short time they may share together.
"Ow! Hey, you stepped on my tail!"
"Well scoot over and make some room, you're so clingy right now."
"Clingy? I'm keeping my eyes down here where I'm digging. You're the one with your head in the clouds!"
"Better in the clouds then up Mom's butt!"
"Uuuugh, you're such a brat! At least she and I have a butt, where's your butt? It's as flat as a plank of wood!"
"Bitch!"
Felix and Janette spun around, shielding the sun from their eyes and watching the two siblings roll around each other screaming and growling while throwing their paws on each other. In a moment, Emyri sprinted out from the house in a flash, running on all fours with the agility and prowess of a wild cat. In under a minute, both cat girls were gasping and expressing the pain of their mother pulling them by their tails. The vein on her temple throbbed as she dragged the two feral cats behind her. pushing them away from each other.
"Mom, you weren't there. She was crowding around, hogging all the room!" Syri panted while she shot daggers at her sister.
Dimryi groaned and shook her head. "You can be such a spoiled brat, if you would just focus on our work and stop focusing on someone else-!"
"Both of you are to be silent." Emyri stated, glaring between her daughters. "I don't want to hear another word. We have a Hunter coming for us and you two still find a way to throw fits. Dimyri you need to grow up, and Syri you need to behave. Now I'm going to leave and you two are going back to work, do I make myself clear?"
"But mom-"
"Do I make myself clear?" Emyri repeated with a raised tone.
Both sisters sighed and shook their head in confirmation.
"Good. If you can't say anything good, better to stay quiet. I don't want to see you fighting again." Emyri waited as her daughters reluctantly continued to return to their work, digging out another hole and covering it with leaves and shrubs.
Felix and Janette watched as Emyri brushed her silver hair and slicked it behind her, walking past them but not without giving him a smile on the side. He smiled back, feeling a nudge from his friend.
"Careful not to get too close." Janette snickered.
"It's not like that, I think." He turned back and caught Emyri's tails swinging with each step she took. "There is definitely a resemblance."
"A resemblance to what?" KuliKuli asked, startling him as she appeared by his side.
"N-nothing!" He quickly replied, freezing in place. "Are you guys finished?"
"Uh-huh!" She nodded enthusiastically, with Na'Vi glaring behind him.
"Okay, let's see." He rubbed his chin and tapped his foot, the wrinkle in his brow quivering as he pondered of what their next step is. "I think... I think that might do for now."
He looked to Janette for her input, but she shrugged in return. "Yea, that'll work for now. We'll be safe indoor for now, just so long as we stay together."
"After we barricade the dining room window." Janette suggested, crossing her arms and turning to KuliKuli and Na'i. "You two can get to work on that."
"With what wood?" KuliKuli pointed out, "Wolfy used the table for the doors."
"Crud, you're right." Janette sighed with a facepalm. "Fuck, we'll have to keep watch for that then."
"I can step out tomorrow and grab some logs from the cabin. Would be a good time to check in on the livestock, in fact... we can go there to hide for some time-"
"No." Janette shook her head. "This is my home, my parents home, it's not something I'm just leaving behind."
"Okay okay, that's fine." He stated, raising his hands. "Just an option."
"Thanks. Let's just focus on getting through tonight with this Hunter on us." She turned to KuliKuli and Na'Vi. "You guys can help the other two finish up quickly for now."
"Right, on it!" KuliKuli nodded, scurrying off with Na'Vi slowly following behind her.
As Felix turned to walk away, Janette reached for his arm and pulled him aside. "What's wrong?"
"Doesn't it strike you as odd that Emyri didn't mention the soldiers of all people coming for them?"
Felix pulled back, stunned from her words. "That could just mean she didn't know."
"Yea, maybe. But even her daughters. That one Dimyri seemed sketchy when I asked why they have a Hunter on them."
"They have a Hunter, a Monster Hunter. They're Monster Girls, it's not that difficult to believe why he's after them." Felix argued.
Janette sighed and looked behind them briefly. "I wish I was as gullible as you are, maybe then my life would be a lot less stressful. Felix, all I'm saying is that they're not giving any clear answers about this."
"You don't think they're who they say they are?" He asked.
"I've no doubt they are her family, the resemblance is there. What I'm saying is that there's a reason why the Hunter is after them."
"Well you met the Hunter, didn't he say?"
She shook her head with a disappointed look. "No, I tried but it's hard to get that kind of information without cluing him in about us."
"Well I can just ask her-"
"Careful with that!" She cautioned, "I mean you saw what one of them did when she was in a bad mood. I don't want all four of them angry, they outnumber us by one. I'm not a fighter if you can't tell. I can beat prices but I can't beat people up."
"Well, maybe you should try training with Reta?"
She sighed and shook her head. "Just focus okay? Keep an eye on them for now, better to believe we're on their side."
Felix leaned back. "That may not be fair, KuliKuli wouldn't like us suspecting them. I'm not keeping this a secret from her if you're wondering."
"That's fine, tell her. Reta agrees with me."
He frowned. "Wait, Reta thinks this too?"
"Shush-sh! Keep your voice down, yes she knows. We spoke about this when we went to Farmer's Den."
"So that's why you took her."
Janette looked insulted. "I took her for protection in case we ran into trouble, which paid off mind you. We just happened to come across that conversation when we got to talking to make the trip shorter, that's all."
"Uh-huh, yea. Look, I don't know how I feel about this. We just agreed to work together and now you're saying we should suspect them."
"All I'm saying is to pay attention, like if they do anything weird or out of the ordinary."
"They're cat girls, everything they do is out of the ordinary." He argued back, with Syri and Dimyri wrestling each other over an apple on the ground several yards away.
Janette turned to them and scratched her head. "Fair enough."
"Look, we'll talk more about this tomorrow okay? Just... one day at a time for now." He pushed past her and walked toward the house, leaving Janette standing awkwardly by herself. She turned back to see KuliKuli jumped in and snagged the apple in her mouth, climbing up the tallest tree with her siblings meowing and climbing up after her.
She sighed and shook her head.
Cat Girls.
