Auguste

Na'Vi looked up, shaking her rear and stretching her soft furred limbs as the morning tingles surged through her feline body. Looking up as she licked her paw, there were one dozen other Nekomata's in cat form sharing the caravan to rest. It was advantageous for the girls to make the most out of small space by transforming into their smaller furry bodies, and cuddling in groups help keep them warm in cold nights. As was common, the youngest would snuggle in the center and the oldest would rest on the outside surface of the group. It doubled for keeping them safe as well.

Na'Vi noticed that the movement of the carriage or rather the lack of movement caught her interest. Getting up and rubbing her whiskers, she poked her head out of the curtain before hopping out and landing onto the soft dirt below. Small patches of bright green grass grew around where they stopped, she took a moment to take in the scenery as it looked familiar to her. The weather was gray and clouded, there was a mild dew smell in the air and none of the active wildlife was making noises alerting their activity. It was uncomfortably quiet, she would be concerned but she was not the only curious cat wondering what kept the group from moving forward.

She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling that familiar funny tickle under her skin as she grew into her Nekomata form. As soon as her fur shrunk back to expose her bare body, she regretted the decision as the air felt like a splash of cold water robbing her body heat. Her legs began to shake and she cursed herself for not questioning why the other Nekomata's remained in cat form.

She sneezed, catching Spi'Reto's attention as he hurriedly wrapped his cloak around her to keep her warm. "It's cold out, you may want to turn back to keep warm in your fur."

Na'Vi sniffed and wrinkled her nose. "Smoke, is there a fire?"

Spi'Reto looked ahead. "Yes."

"A warm fire sounds nice, why did we stop?" She asked, her tails rubbing her body and legs to keep warm.

Spi'Reto kept hold of her, his arms wrapped around her to keep his cloak from falling off her petite form. He quickly adjusted the collar and wrapped the cloak as best as he could so she could hold onto it herself. He was feeling rather exposed himself as he had given her his own cloak which kept him warm before, but he tried to ignore the cold elements as he pointed his finger past her to the front of the line.

"Well, we got here some minutes ago. But there's one issue."

"Yea?"

"Felix says the house belongs to someone else. That someone else just came back home."

Her eyes squinted up ahead, the morning sun wasn't quite bright due to the gray skies but daytime still hindered her sight. At the front stood Alma, Kuli and Felix. Alma had her arms crossed, Felix was scratching his head and Felix appeared to be hugging his arm at his side with a brown cloak around her. With an irritated look, she began marching her way forward leaving Spi'Reto behind, thinking twice before trying to stop her. It wasn't far, she walked past four carriers before confronting them.

"Hey, it's cold and I'm freezing. What the heck is keeping us here?"

Felix continued facing forward, up close she could see he had an uneasy look on his face. Following his gaze, she could see the down the terrain from where they stood and past the high trees stood a small pile of metal scrap on a square patch of dirt which stood out from the grassy field. A small brown trail connected the patch and led to the side of a wooden log home. It was a rather modest home, its walls constructed from logs and the roof built from a mixture of clay and wood, with a square chimney made of stone standing out exhaling a trail of smoke into the air.

She recognized the house immediately not by its appearance but rather its scent. When she was looking for KuliKuli, this was the place where her scent was the strongest. It looked to be an easy place to ambush, but at the time they were concerned with Reta under the belief that she was a guard dog. They kept their distance in an attempt to keep away from her catching tbeir scent, and only later did they realize she was not a dog or even a full-blooded monster girl like they themselves were. That was when they decided to act, only to find the three accompany another woman to a far bigger fortress of a house. That woman was Janette.

Kuli stroked her mate's arm in an effort to comfort him and soften the tension she felt under his skin. "It's Auguste, he's home."

"So?" Na'Vi asked.

"It's his house." She answered back. "Meaning we can't stay here anymore."

Na'Vi looked far down the hill, squinting at the house to see if she could detect where this strange man was. "Is he danger?"

"Maybe." Felix sheepishly replied back.

Na'Vi clicked her tongue. "He's just one, we can handle him."

"Not when he assigned you to look after his house only to come back and find it empty." He swallowed, clearing his throat.

"You left his house when it was your job to guard it?" Na'Vi raised her brow.

"You can say that."

"Why?" She asked, receiving a crossed look from Kuli. She blinked then looked away, her tail rubbing her arm. "Right, okay. Well, what now?"

"We continue moving north, find a safe settlement to rest. Set up camp, adjust our rations, sleep for the night then repeat in the morning." Alma answered her casually, turning to fumble with some of the equipment on the front carriage.

"There's a chance he might pay me." Felix added, catching her interest as Alma froze. She turned around, giving him a strange look as if silently asking him to repeat himself. "He might pay me, it was a job after all and he promised a handsome reward if I did a good job."

"You abandoned his home for fifteen days, somehow I don't think he would be eager to reward you in any way that isn't lethal."

Felix opened his mouth intent with a response but nothing was said. He thought twice and balled his hand into a fist, knowing that her words were true.

Kuli bit the corner of her lip, wondering what to do when an idea emerged and her cat ears stood up. "Maybe tell him the truth?"

"What?" Both Felix and Na'Vi questioned her.

Kuli smiled back. "It's the truth, we can confirm it for him. Maybe he would understand?"

"Kuli, I don't know. I'm not sure how he feels about Monster Girls." Felix said, reminding her of how many people viewed them. "I know better now but he might react differently."

"Humans." Na'Vi muttered when Kuli continued speaking.

"Then don't tell him I'm a Nekomata, he doesn't need to know. You can say you found me and took care of me, it's true after all."

Alma stepped in. "Your generosity will not go unrecognized, but it is not necessary."

"It wasn't for you." Felix added, regretting his choice of words as Alma frowned in return. "I mean not like that. I'll explain later, but I have to do this."

"You're... not in any danger are you?" She calmly asked, her fingers gently stroking the bow she carried around her chest.

"No no, Auguste isn't aggressive. He's not that kind of threat. Just let me do this, please?" He was hopeful that after what they've been through, Alma would give him the benefit on this decision.

Alma switched her gaze to Kuli, who gave her a pleading look with sad eyes. She sighed and tightened the hold on her bow, brushing her apple red hair away from her face.

"Fine, but I'm sending my son to watch."

"I don't think he's needed-" Felix froze when Alma stared at him with evil eyes. "I-I mean if you insist!"

"I do." She whistled as her son hurriedly ran toward them. For a brief moment, she discussed with Spi'Reto and said some things, Felix wasn't sure what it was as they began communicating in their native tongue. He felt uncomfortable as Spi'Reto glanced to him and locked eyes before turning back to argue with his mother again, where they mocking him?

Kuli hugged his arm again, giving him a gentle squeeze. He leaned to her and whispered, "What are they saying?"

Kuli smacked her lips. "They're talking about you, don't be nervous Master, you'll be fine."

"I hope." He said under his breath, standing straight as Spi'Reto approached him with his fingers lightly running along the dagger in his belt. He cocked his head, motioning him to start walking. Felix turned and kissed Kuli on the cheek. "I'll be back soon."

"Don't keep us waiting." She smiled back, watching as the two of them walked down the hill.

Spi'Reto nudged Felix as they continued forward. "Any affiliations, what should I know about him? Is he alone?"

"He should be. I know your mother asked you to be careful but just try not to do anything too far."

"She didn't ask me to be careful, she asked me to protect you." He corrected him, stretching his neck as he looked to one end of the house. "And don't worry, I'll play it safe. I trust you. There's a window that leads to the dining table by the looks of it, position yourself there and I can protect you in case anything goes wrong."

Felix gave him a funny look as Spi'Reto readied his bow with an arrow in hand, hurrying to position himself at a vantage point hidden behind a large pinewood tree. Shaking his head, Felix decided to take a deep breath as he made his way around to the front of the house. Taking his time to look around, he calmly waved at the barn nearby where one of the cows began to moo. He smiled, thankfuly that the cows seemed fine. Plenty of chickens were clucking around, some scratching at the grass with their feet and poking around their fluffy white feathers. It looked like despite his disappearance the barn continued without him, and the house itself remained in good condition. Reaching for the wooden door, he braced himself and gave it a gentle few taps with his knuckles.

No answer.

He paused, contemplating what he should say, what he can do, and if this was the right decision. After a moment, he knocked again. And again.

Someone coughed from inside, he could hear the sound of a wooden chair scraping along the floorboards. Soft thuds were beginning to approach the door, Felix stepped back as a metal clink signaled the opening of the door.

"Mmm, didn't think I would see you again."

"Auguste, I-"

"It's cold outside, come in come in." Auguste held the door for Felix to enter inside. "Don't be nervous, I'm past the age of teaching you a lesson for leaving the job."

Felix spun around as he began to explain himself. "Auguste, I'm sorry-"

"Please, sit." He gestured for him with an outstretched hand.

Auguste sat down across from Felix on the square wooden table near the fireplace, the flames crackled and sparked with a calm nature providing comfortable warmth within the household. It was the advantage of having little space in a small house, as well as living alone.

Auguste coughed into a handkerchief, wiping the wrinkles in his brow and adjusting the rope he used around his waistband as an amateur belt. He briefly scratched his scalp, you could see a shiny coat of sweat like an island of water perched on top and surrounded by salt and pepper hair on the back and sides. He reached for a small clay cup, bringing it to his lips and sipping what looked like a ruby red liquid, his adams apple bobbing with each gulp. Wiping his lip and mustache, he drew a deep breath and leaned back in his seat as his tired eyes settled onto this young man, this former employee of his.

"How long were you gone for?" He asked in his raspy, hoarse voice.

Felix swallowed and bowed his head slightly. "Two weeks more or less. I didn't keep track."

"Imagine my surprise when I returned with my critters seemingly stuffed with full bellies and claiming their ground with crap everywhere. Took me several days to clean up around here."

Felix flinched as Auguste reached to have another sip from his cup. "I'm sorry."

"So why did you leave?" Auguste asked, smacking his lips as a drop of liquid fell onto his beard. "You didn't steal anything, left plenty of food for them and myself. Then you come back, I imagine looking for payment am I correct?"

Felix shamefully nodded.

"Look at me boy, and tell an old man why you left your job."

Felix looked up and regretted it, seeing the disappointment and frustration seeping through his employer's eyes. "I looked after the place for months, I didn't steal and I didn't leave without reason."

"And that is?"

He took a deep breath, preparing for a way to explain. "I found someone."

"Oh?"

"She needed help, she was in trouble."

"What age?"

"Two years younger than me."

"I see. What happened?"

Felix wiped his hands on his lap, feeling them grow warm and sweaty. "There was a storm with thunder and strong winds, pouring rain so hard I was worried we would have a flood. The tool shed was knocked down, I found her there. She was **** so I took her in, kept her safe. Found out she was in trouble, so I went to help."

"You left my house and farm for a woman?" Auguste snorted, tapping his boot on the wooden floor with a loud squeak. "Felix, I known ye for over three hundred days, I ain't never figured a timid twig like yer self would catch him a woman, let alone how a woman would fancy you."

Auguste erupted in a loud uproar, cackling and clutching his chest, leaving Felix smiling nervously and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh come on boy, you weren't a confident man, you weren't. This woman, is she safe?"

"Yes sir."

"She with you?"

"Yes." Felix nodded back. Auguste raised his eyebrow when he noticed that nervous twitch in his lip after asking him.

"Oh, how long have you two been?"

"What?"

"How long have you two been together?"

"Oh, uhh... months, sir."

He jumped as Auguste pushed his chair back, scraping along the floor with a loud screech. His hand helped balance himself as he leaned against the wall, turning his back on Felix and disappearing down the hall. He could hear him back there, mumbling to himself, rummaging through what sounded like tools and wooden drawers, pausing to clear his throat and spit. Felix leaned over to see what Auguste was drinking, the scent was unrecognizable to him. Despite the texture and color, it wasn't wine and it certainly wasn't... something else. Felix shuddered at the thought of it, thankful that those times have long passed. Hopefully.

Auguste returned with a cane in one hand and a rusted box in the other. Felix stood up, approached to help him when Auguste pulled back and poked at his foot with his cane. "Don't go pampering this old man, I'm not on my last days just yet!"

"Ah, sorry sir." Felix recoiled, standing awkwardly as Auguste sat down and placed the box on the table. Flicking the latch off, he opened the lid and scooped out several fists full of large silver coins. He dropped them casually on a square patch of cloth, carefully counting each one and whispering to himself in the process.

"That oughta do it." He mumbled as he folded the corners of the cloth up and tied it around the top to keep the money in place. He stood back, watching Felix as if daring him to make a move. Feeling awkward, Felix pointed at the bag of which Auguste raised his brows and shook his head.

"Sir?"

"Oh this ain't for you, this is." He explained, pushing the rusted box roughly. It slid across the table and fell on his lap, opening in the process. Felix felt his eyes widen as he saw just how much he was being rewarded. "That woman of yours, I sure hope she's pretty on the eyes. She's expecting, ain't she?"

"Expecting?"

"With child?" Felix silently nodded as Auguste continued, "You're a bright one, strong spirit. Told ya when I found ya that this work will make your limbs strong and turn your mind sharp. Hard labor can turn a soft man hard, now look at ye?" He coughed suddenly, wheezing as he wiped his mouth.

Felix looked concerned. "Are you going to be okay?"

Auguste shook his head. "I said why I left yes?"

"Visit family?"

"That's right. I'm an old man Felix, plenty of life left in my soul but this body is tired. I built this place, wanted to leave something behind for my kin." He paused, letting those words sink in as he was reminded of a troubling memory. "That's gone now, I promised him this would be his. I just didn't think I'd live to see him go first. Figured it would be the other way around... but, times can be a bitch."

Felix kept quiet, not wanting to interrupt him.

"I tells ya, I didn't know what would come of this place. Do you have a home Felix? You do now."

"Uh, sir?"

"This place is yours."

"I can't-"

"Son, you better because I said what I said and I am a man of my word, don't you go breaking an old man's heart now!" Auguste raised his voice, slamming his fist down making his drink shake.

Felix leaned back. "I don't know what to say, I don't deserve this-"

"No, you don't." He confirmed, smiling before breaking into a cruel taunting laugh. "But it's either you or I leave the place on its own. Plenty of people to sell it, but I don't trust none to care for it. I built this place to raise a family, just was hoping it would raise my own. But, maybe it can for someone else. I'll be leaving soon, honest I came back to tell you I'd be gone but you beat me to it and left. I'm going back to see what family I have left, spend my life with them till I give it back. Felix?"

"Yea?" His eyes looked up, mixed with a shock, nervousness and excitement.

"Be very careful. It's a hard world out there, people are out to take what others have. And also, try not to let your girls scratch up the place. This house costed me years of labor and I'll be damned to see it turn into a scratching post."

Felix was stunned. "What?"

"The eyes, I can see it in your eyes, quite literally you poor sap." Auguste smiled as Felix smiled back looking away. "Yea, you're going to be in some trouble if you don't try to hide 'em. You know how people feel about monsters."

"She's not a monster, sir." He mentioned.

"I bet she is quite the monster in bed though!" He wheezed and began laughing once more, his round belly expanding in size with each gasp of air while Felix sat in embarrassment. "Oh come off, I ain't mean no harm."

"I don't know what to say-"

"Don't say nothing. Come back in two days to give an old man his goodbyes, then the place is yours. Now best go back and not keep the lady waiting."

Felix reached out with his hand and a smile on his face. Auguste wiped his hand on his chest before grabbing his, shaking it warmly. "Now, off ya go. I want me some peace and quiet before I begin to pack."

"Thank you sir. Two days, when?"

"Early morning when the sun rises, got it?"

Felix nodded, grabbing the metal box and reaching for the door. He paused and gave him one last look with a wide smile. "Thank you, for freeing me and giving me this."

"You can thank me by making a new life for yourself. You'll make a good father Felix."

Felix felt his heart skip as he stepped outside, holding the box tightly to his chest. A father, he was going to be a father. He and Kuli were going to have children, was it children? Would they have babies or kittens, how are Nekomata's born? He chuckled and shook his head, unaware of Spi'Reto until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Hey, what's in the box? Did you get a fair pay?"

Felix couldn't shake the smile off his face. "Yea, that and then some."