Janette and Syri had just arrived back at the house, with Janette opening the door for Syri to walk in when they froze at the sight. To their shock, everyone else was huddled around the living room with a shared look of concern between them.
Janette looked behind her and closed the door, turning around nervously. "Am I missing something here?"
Felix and KuliKuli sat next to each other on the nearest couch, with KuliKuli glaring at her older sister Dimyri. Dimyri held her chin high with her legs crossed, and even Na'Vi sitting next to her felt awkward about the sudden change of behavior between them. Emyri kept this tense smile on her face, but it was easy to tell that it was somewhat forced due to the quivering motion of her cat ears and tails. Something had her spooked.
"Oh! You're back, d-did you two have fun?" She asked with her bottom lip quivering.
Syri glanced at all the others, her eyes darting from one face to the other until she settled her sights on her mother. "Um, yea."
"What's this all about?" Janette swallowed before hiding her nervousness and putting on a hardened face. "We weren't absent for long, everyone is here. Did something happen?"
Reta, who was leaning against the wall with her arms folded, sighed and rolled her eyes. "Rations are short, or did you not realize that?"
"Rations?" She looked over to Felix as he cleared his throat.
"We noticed that food is a bit scarce and supplies are low, you don't seem to have any well or rivers nearby. Where's your source of water?"
"Natural rainwater, during Spring and Fall of course."
"And winter is dangerously near." Felix mentioned, pressing his finger to his chin. He closed his eyes and shook his head with a sigh. "We checked the cellar you have, I hope that wasn't a breach of trust?"
"Not at all."
"Good, I tried to ask but... well the point is we don't have enough rations to manage after tonight." He looked up with dreaded eyes.
Janette felt her stomach turn into knots, realizing what this meant for them. If they decide to stay home after fortifying, they would nee more food and water. No food and water limited the duration of their stay, and winter was only a week away. Once the snowfall arrives, they won't last long.
She stepped away, leaning against the wall and looking away with her hand rubbing her eyes. This was bad.
"In my times, we would hunt in preparation for winter. With enough hare, deer and trout, along with our season harvest, we would manage our rations evenly so that no family lived a day in hunger. But unfortunately, such preparations would occur four weeks before winter arrived." Reta shared with a saddened expression.
"My girls are no strangers to the hunt but we don't know these lands well." Emyri sighed, struggling with her optimism. "Ah, we can still go out to look-"
"No, not when people are actively hunting for us." KuliKuli reminded her, turning to Felix and shaking his arm. "What about the big market place?"
"Farmer's Den?" He asked with a puzzled look. "KuliKuli you know we can't go there."
"No! The other one, the big one!" She repeated, spreading her arms out. "We went there at night, remember?"
His eyes lit up once he recognized what she meant, snapping his fingers and turning to Janette. "Kershin Market!"
"After that Arcaye? I don't know."
KuliKuli pouted. "It's not like we're looking for him actively, and we don't have a better choice, do we?"
Janette paced around, sighing heavily as her mind raddled with alternate options.
Felix turned his head and read her expression, approaching her calmly and speaking in a hush voice. "We don't have many options, and I don't like it either. But I see you're thinking it at least. We can't go hunting, even if we don't get caught any wildlife will have migrated or be in hibernation."
"What if we run into them? Or what if we get ambushed by thieves? And after what we did to Arcaye-"
"You're cooking up a lot of questions, I get it. But Farmer's Den is off limits now, and maybe getting out of the house could be an advantage."
Janette looked uncertain, tapping her foot and glancing over his shoulder towards the others who sat around waiting for her response. "It's too dangerous if we split the group."
"We could go together!" KuliKuli snuck behind her, jumping as she practically announced her response. She pulled Janette, hugging her arm with a smile. "It's not the best idea ever but I think this might work if we do it together. Right?"
"Just one issue," Reta reminded them as she raised her voice and looked at the other Nekomata's. "There is also the matter of my curse, in case you may have forgotten."
"Agh!" Felix slammed his hand against the wall in a fit of frustration. "Damn it, I forgot. Now what, it wouldn't feel right to leave you behind. Not when we're low on food."
Reta sighed and approached the closest window, looking outside. "It is still morning, near noon. How far is this Kershin Market from here?"
"From your cabin it was half a day's trip, but from here it should be but a few hours by caravan." Janette said.
"Hmm, still afternoon upon arrival. But what were to happen if I transform and I lose control? Would we need to bring chains?"
"Chains?" Emyri's face lit in a bright blush, looking to Felix in awe.
"It's not like that." He explained with an embarrassed look, shaking his head. "And hopefully not, hells I don't know."
"You said full moon, yes?" Janette asked. "Well, the full moon shouldn't be until tomorrow."
"Are you sure?" Reta asked with a raised eyebrow. "We are gambling with my safety and your own. Just one bite in my werewolf form would transfer the curse."
"I'll protect you should that be the case." Felix stood up as KuliKuli placed her paw on his shoulder.
"We both will."
Na'Vi seemed concerned as she looked back and forth between the trio. "Wait, what's a curse? Is that a bad thing, is she a bad thing?"
"She's dangerous? Like, more than normal?" Syri shivered at the thought, hiding behind Janette.
Reta scoffed and adjusted her bright blue hair away from her eyes. "Yes, and should you get on my nerves I won't hesitate but to end this wild chase of yours by my own hand."
Emyri shot up with a scowl. "Now now, threatening my girls is my job and a permission I give to others."
"Then I shall happily bare their punishment onto you myself. Had it not been for your arrival, we resume our search for a means to undo this curse of mine." Reta hissed, her hands balling into fists. "You forget that we had our own problems to invest in until we took yours in as a charity."
"I will ignore your tone and remind you the urgency of mine!" Emyri snapped in retaliation, growling under her breath. "We didn't ask to be pursued and hunted like animals, but it is what we are. We are monsters, it may not make for a comfort but a mother does her best for her children. I've lost many of my clutter before and I would lay my life for my girls to live another day."
"Good, then you understand the severity of our situation." Reta muttered when KuliKuli stood between them.
"Okay stop it you too! Reta, we have one more day before you go wolfy on us so we'll try and hurry up to get what we need. Mom, there's no reason to make a fuss about this when all of us are involved! Now, I think it would work best if we go together on this one. Jay, what do you think?"
Janette sighed as her shoulders dropped, lifting them in a shrug. "Well, the faster we move, the less light we burn."
"Fantastic!" KuliKuli beamed, clapping her paws together. "Okay everyone, group trip to this super big place called Kershin! Everyone get off your butts and march! To the horses!"
"That's the caravan!" Janette shouted after them as they exited the house one by one, each member with a shared look of uncertainty. She rubbed her forehead with a painful groan, feeling someone touch her arm in comfort.
Syri smiled and leaned on her shoulder, giving her a warm hug. "I'm nervous too, but maybe sis is right. Staying together helps us feel safer, just like what Mom would say with our clutter."
Janette felt her spirits lifted, holding Syri's paw and giving it a few gentle pats. "I suppose, it's not like we've a better choice. Stick with momma Jay, I'll keep you safe. I happen to know my way around the city after all."
"There you go, see? Happy thoughts and bright spirits." Syri giggled, leaning in to kiss her cheek and pat her butt. "C'mon, mommy Jay."
She slipped away with a wink, leaving the woman feeling flustered and pressing her hand over her breast in an attempt to calm down the excitement of her heart frantically beating away like a celebratory drum. This Nekomata was leaving quite the effect on her in a short time. With a smile, she locked the door behind her and headed out to help Felix with preparing the caravan.
In a short time, they were off with the horses pulling the caravan behind, marching between the parted acres of apple trees before running onto the main path.
A brief minute of silence passed as the cloud of dust left behind settled down, only to be kicked up by a stallion and its rider following behind.
Janette and Syri had just arrived back at the house, with Janette opening the door for Syri to walk in when they froze at the sight. To their shock, everyone else was huddled around the living room with a shared look of concern between them.
Janette looked behind her and closed the door, turning around nervously. "Am I missing something here?"
Felix and KuliKuli sat next to each other on the nearest couch, with KuliKuli glaring at her older sister Dimyri. Dimyri held her chin high with her legs crossed, and even Na'Vi sitting next to her felt awkward about the sudden change of behavior between them. Emyri kept this tense smile on her face, but it was easy to tell that it was somewhat forced due to the quivering motion of her cat ears and tails. Something had her spooked.
"Oh! You're back, d-did you two have fun?" She asked with her bottom lip quivering.
Syri glanced at all the others, her eyes darting from one face to the other until she settled her sights on her mother. "Um, yea."
"What's this all about?" Janette swallowed before hiding her nervousness and putting on a hardened face. "We weren't absent for long, everyone is here. Did something happen?"
Reta, who was leaning against the wall with her arms folded, sighed and rolled her eyes. "Rations are short, or did you not realize that?"
"Rations?" She looked over to Felix as he cleared his throat.
"We noticed that food is a bit scarce and supplies are low, you don't seem to have any well or rivers nearby. Where's your source of water?"
"Natural rainwater, during Spring and Fall of course."
"And winter is dangerously near." Felix mentioned, pressing his finger to his chin. He closed his eyes and shook his head with a sigh. "We checked the cellar you have, I hope that wasn't a breach of trust?"
"Not at all."
"Good, I tried to ask but... well the point is we don't have enough rations to manage after tonight." He looked up with dreaded eyes.
Janette felt her stomach turn into knots, realizing what this meant for them. If they decide to stay home after fortifying, they would nee more food and water. No food and water limited the duration of their stay, and winter was only a week away. Once the snowfall arrives, they won't last long.
She stepped away, leaning against the wall and looking away with her hand rubbing her eyes. This was bad.
"In my times, we would hunt in preparation for winter. With enough hare, deer and trout, along with our season harvest, we would manage our rations evenly so that no family lived a day in hunger. But unfortunately, such preparations would occur four weeks before winter arrived." Reta shared with a saddened expression.
"My girls are no strangers to the hunt but we don't know these lands well." Emyri sighed, struggling with her optimism. "Ah, we can still go out to look-"
"No, not when people are actively hunting for us." KuliKuli reminded her, turning to Felix and shaking his arm. "What about the big market place?"
"Farmer's Den?" He asked with a puzzled look. "KuliKuli you know we can't go there."
"No! The other one, the big one!" She repeated, spreading her arms out. "We went there at night, remember?"
His eyes lit up once he recognized what she meant, snapping his fingers and turning to Janette. "Kershin Market!"
"After that Arcaye? I don't know."
KuliKuli pouted. "It's not like we're looking for him actively, and we don't have a better choice, do we?"
Janette paced around, sighing heavily as her mind raddled with alternate options.
Felix turned his head and read her expression, approaching her calmly and speaking in a hush voice. "We don't have many options, and I don't like it either. But I see you're thinking it at least. We can't go hunting, even if we don't get caught any wildlife will have migrated or be in hibernation."
"What if we run into them? Or what if we get ambushed by thieves? And after what we did to Arcaye-"
"You're cooking up a lot of questions, I get it. But Farmer's Den is off limits now, and maybe getting out of the house could be an advantage."
Janette looked uncertain, tapping her foot and glancing over his shoulder towards the others who sat around waiting for her response. "It's too dangerous if we split the group."
"We could go together!" KuliKuli snuck behind her, jumping as she practically announced her response. She pulled Janette, hugging her arm with a smile. "It's not the best idea ever but I think this might work if we do it together. Right?"
"Just one issue," Reta reminded them as she raised her voice and looked at the other Nekomata's. "There is also the matter of my curse, in case you may have forgotten."
"Agh!" Felix slammed his hand against the wall in a fit of frustration. "Damn it, I forgot. Now what, it wouldn't feel right to leave you behind. Not when we're low on food."
Reta sighed and approached the closest window, looking outside. "It is still morning, near noon. How far is this Kershin Market from here?"
"From your cabin it was half a day's trip, but from here it should be but a few hours by caravan." Janette said.
"Hmm, still afternoon upon arrival. But what were to happen if I transform and I lose control? Would we need to bring chains?"
"Chains?" Emyri's face lit in a bright blush, looking to Felix in awe.
"It's not like that." He explained with an embarrassed look, shaking his head. "And hopefully not, hells I don't know."
"You said full moon, yes?" Janette asked. "Well, the full moon shouldn't be until tomorrow."
"Are you sure?" Reta asked with a raised eyebrow. "We are gambling with my safety and your own. Just one bite in my werewolf form would transfer the curse."
"I'll protect you should that be the case." Felix stood up as KuliKuli placed her paw on his shoulder.
"We both will."
Na'Vi seemed concerned as she looked back and forth between the trio. "Wait, what's a curse? Is that a bad thing, is she a bad thing?"
"She's dangerous? Like, more than normal?" Syri shivered at the thought, hiding behind Janette.
Reta scoffed and adjusted her bright blue hair away from her eyes. "Yes, and should you get on my nerves I won't hesitate but to end this wild chase of yours by my own hand."
Emyri shot up with a scowl. "Now now, threatening my girls is my job and a permission I give to others."
"Then I shall happily bare their punishment onto you myself. Had it not been for your arrival, we resume our search for a means to undo this curse of mine." Reta hissed, her hands balling into fists. "You forget that we had our own problems to invest in until we took yours in as a charity."
"I will ignore your tone and remind you the urgency of mine!" Emyri snapped in retaliation, growling under her breath. "We didn't ask to be pursued and hunted like animals, but it is what we are. We are monsters, it may not make for a comfort but a mother does her best for her children. I've lost many of my clutter before and I would lay my life for my girls to live another day."
"Good, then you understand the severity of our situation." Reta muttered when KuliKuli stood between them.
"Okay stop it you too! Reta, we have one more day before you go wolfy on us so we'll try and hurry up to get what we need. Mom, there's no reason to make a fuss about this when all of us are involved! Now, I think it would work best if we go together on this one. Jay, what do you think?"
Janette sighed as her shoulders dropped, lifting them in a shrug. "Well, the faster we move, the less light we burn."
"Fantastic!" KuliKuli beamed, clapping her paws together. "Okay everyone, group trip to this super big place called Kershin! Everyone get off your butts and march! To the horses!"
"That's the caravan!" Janette shouted after them as they exited the house one by one, each member with a shared look of uncertainty. She rubbed her forehead with a painful groan, feeling someone touch her arm in comfort.
Syri smiled and leaned on her shoulder, giving her a warm hug. "I'm nervous too, but maybe sis is right. Staying together helps us feel safer, just like what Mom would say with our clutter."
Janette felt her spirits lifted, holding Syri's paw and giving it a few gentle pats. "I suppose, it's not like we've a better choice. Stick with momma Jay, I'll keep you safe. I happen to know my way around the city after all."
"There you go, see? Happy thoughts and bright spirits." Syri giggled, leaning in to kiss her cheek and pat her butt. "C'mon, mommy Jay."
She slipped away with a wink, leaving the woman feeling flustered and pressing her hand over her breast in an attempt to calm down the excitement of her heart frantically beating away like a celebratory drum. This Nekomata was leaving quite the effect on her in a short time. With a smile, she locked the door behind her and headed out to help Felix with preparing the caravan.
In a short time, they were off with the horses pulling the caravan behind, marching between the parted acres of apple trees before running onto the main path.
A brief minute of silence passed as the cloud of dust left behind settled down, only to be kicked up by a stallion and its rider following behind.
