Day 38: Unexpected Ally

Zimi brushed her hair feeling a bit stressed and helpless, given the circumstances it would summarize her current role accurately. Leone was visibly shivering from a fever, which seemed to be rising when she pressed her paw onto his forehead. Grabbing a soaked leaf, she placed it over his head and kept him on his back. Once his breathing seemed under control, she leaned back to relax shortly before hearing something soft and vague. Looking at the tunnel entry, Cyri was motioning for her to come out.

"Something wrong, Mother?"

Cyri placed her paw on Zimi's shoulders, almost as if she were trying to calm her by brushing her arms. Which made Zimi feel nervous instead.

"Mother?"

"So, we have an unexpected visitor and I would like to see if you could maybe examine her for me." As they spoke, both girls began walking in a particular direction.

"Oh, okay what's wrong, where is she hurt?"

"She's not hurt, well not in the traditional sense. This is a special case."

"Special as in..."

"Just... different from your normal kitten." She said as they began walking through a crowded area. Zimi looked around to catch surprised glimpses looking up ahead.

"Um, shouldn't I get my things for this?"

Emyri caught them and approached the two, answering her friend. "Not sure if our medicine would help either."

Zimi raised an eye when she was met with the Grizzly from before, staring back at her and sat down with her legs spread out. Seemed like a leisurely posture, fitting for a bear like her. It demonstrated her size difference, sitting on her butt she still stood over them by a few feet. The fur surrounding most of her form added to the intimidation of her presence, only her upper arms, thighs, neck and face revealed a light skin tone free from coverage.

Zimi jumped abruptly and leaned into Cyri. "Different from a normal kitten is putting things mildly, she isn't a cat at all!" She whispered rather loudly.

"I know, but she came in to apologize-"

"Which I haven't accepted." Emyri added, glaring back at the clueless Grizzly. She smiled waved at her with the Nekomata looking away.

"So, what's wrong with her then?"

"She isn't... well in the head it seems." Cyri responded, tapping her temple with the tip of her tail. Zimi glanced over at Nukka, who seemed to be panting with her tail sticking out and her chest moving up and down.

"I see."

"Could you maybe check on her, see what's wrong?"

"Sure, but why?"

"Zimi, please?" Cyri asked, holding her paw. "Just do me this favor, and I'll owe you this one okay?"

"Yea, sure. But you owe me plenty before."

"Add it to my list." She winked back, letting Zimi step up to the Grizzly. Her large brown eyes settled down on the Nekomata as she walked to her, with the Grizzly scratching her side.

She took one look at her when her small rounded ears flicked and her eyes lit up. "Hey, you're the one who scratched the itch!"

"Itch? Um, you mea-"

"Thank you!" She shouted, scooping the young woman into her arms into a tight bear hug. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

"AA-ACK! My arms!" Zimi shrieked as she felt weightless being held up in the air, her head feeling smushed between the woman's large furry bosom. Instead, the Grizzly tightened her hold and stood up on her feet, spinning around and kissing the cat girls head.

"Mmmmmm-Mm! Ugh, you don't know how badly it hurt back there. We were beginning to go crazy thinking it would hurt forever, thank gods we have you to thank!"

"Drop her!" Emyri shouted, amongst the numerous other cats girls shouting and voicing their demands. "Heeeyyy!!"

"Huh? Wah?" The Grizzly asked, glancing around to see the cats yelling at her. "Why so loud?"

"Squeezing-!" Zimi grunted under her fading breath, feeling her lungs struggle to expand for air. Emyri jumped up and pulled at the bear's large arm, tugging hard and going red from exertion.

"Let! Go!"

"Hey, what's wrong?" Asked the Grizzly, seemingly lost. "Do you want hugs too?"

She paused as something tapped her forehead. Her eyes looked up at an upside down image of Cyri's head looking back at her with a serious look.

"I will ask this once, kindly let go of my friend."

"Let go?" She repeated, parting her arms away as Zimi felt her feet touch the floor and her lungs begin to catch air once more. Emyri dropped down to help her friend, supporting her weight as she breathed.

"Too tight, couldn't change!" She wheezed, with Emyri rubbing her back and standing by her. Cyri jumped down and looked up at the Grizzly and spoke with a stern voice.

"Sit." The girls gasped as the bear sat down, sending snow into the air around her as well as floating strands of white fur. Cyri brushed any fur which fell on her head before keeping her eyes locked onto the Grizzly.

"You don't touch unless we say, you don't hug unless we ask, as long as you're here you are not allowed to place your paws on anyone without my say. Do I make myself clear?"

"Not even for hugs?" She whimpered, her bottom lip twitching.

"Not even for hugs. You are a visitor, not a guest until we feel comfortable with you walking into our territory. Am I clear?"

The Grizzly rubbed her eyes, turning her head left and right before nodding her big head. "Yes, ma'am. We just wanted hugs."

"No hugs." Cyri answered, turning around to see Zimi clear her throat. "Will you be okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She mumbled, approached the large woman. "What's your name?"

"Nuh, Nu-ice Tumeechu."

"Nu-ice Tumeechu?"

"Nice to meet you too!" She yelled back with a silly face, slumping back and giggling to herself. "You're funny. Nukka would like you."

"Who's Nukka?"

"Oh gods, you call us Nukka too?" She chuckled, waving her arms around in shock. "We hear that word all the time! Nukka Nukka Nukka, ya-da ya-da ya-da!"

Zimi raised her eye. "So you're Nukka?"

"Of course we're not a ka, silly. Wait, what do you mean Nukka?"

"You said Nukka."

"No you're not Ka."

"Ka?"

"Nukka." She teased, licking her lips before falling onto her back giggling loudly. The other girls traded odd looks with Zimi feeling awkward in their presence. Seeing Cyri motion for her to continue, she took in a deep breath and walked over to her head. Taking a closer look, she could see dark shadows under her eye lids, giving her a very tired look in her eyes.

"Did we wake you from hibernation?"

"Pfft, hibernation isn't until next week silly! Or, was it last week? No they told Nukka it was the week before, or the week after? Aw crud, is this why her eyes feel so heavy, we thought we were just tired from walking so much."

"Do you not know what hybernation is?"

"Of course Nukka knows, who doesn't know what hibernation is? It's like a normal nation but super hyper, duh." She scoffed, looking around before rolling on her stomach, her arms gathering large chunks of snow to cuddle with.

"Ahh, so good to see you too. Nice and warm, she thought we lost you. Guess what, her back isn't itching anymore."

"I... figured." Zimi glanced back at Cyri and Emyri, sharing the same puzzled look when suddenly Nukka gasped and lifted her head.

"The stingers! The stingers are coming for us!" She scrambled around, panicking and hurrying deeper into their nest of dens. The Nekomata's jumped out of the way, when Emyri and Zimi ran in they found her chest stuck inside one of the dens, kicking up snow as her bottom half stuck out.

"Umph! Uuuuuuu! They're hurting, Nukka hates it when she gets stung! Don't want it to sting again, not again. Bad people, bad bad bad!"

"Hey! Get out of there!!" Emyri shouted in a panic, clutching at the bear's hind fur and pulling away. "Mom, Zimi!"

"Oh dear." Cyri touched her chest before looking at the other girls for help. The other girls nodded and each one grabbed Nukka from where they could before pulling hard.

"Come on girls, harder!"

"Nuuuuuu! No! They're outside, they want Nukka! Want to sting her more, don't want!"

She kicked her feet around, her paws digging into the snow harder. When Nukka opened her eyes and looked up ahead, she stopped. The cat girls felt her resistance drop, which gave them the opportunity to pull her away and free her from their den. Emyri ran inside, dropping to her paws and checking on who was inside. Zimi and Cyri were catching their breaths, approaching Nukka's head to see her staring forward.

Looking inside, she saw Leone on his side shivering, the leaves now on the floor exposing the claw marks on his back which they faced. Emyri helped wipe the sweat off from his body, whispering to him and checking to see if he was still asleep. His lack of response caught Nukka's throat as she began to feel a lump in her chest.

"W-What happened?"

Emyri looked over and frowned. "What do you mean what happened, you happened."

"Who? No... no don't blame her, why would you say that? She has feelings, she never meant to hurt those people... M-Mother said so."

Emyri growled and made her way to the Grizzly, sitting in front of her and blocking her view of Leone. "You did this the other night, and now he is-he is sick!"

"No, not Nukka."

"Stop playing dumb!"

"No don't say those bad things, they hurt her."

"And how do you think he is feeling?" She pointed behind her. "Think he wouldn't agree?"

"Stop, she's getting upset." Nukka replied in a low tone, her voice beginning to crack. "She isn't being nice-well why would she be nice, she says she hurt her friend! B-B-But why would she lie? She is hurting too! You can't lie, you can't cry, remember what Mother said. Rivers don't cry!"

Emyri scooted back a few feet as the bear began to murmur and argue with herself, looking up at her mother and friend. Zimi jumped up and ran to Nukka's side, speaking directly to her ear.

"Nukka, calm down. It's okay."

"No, no Nukka is not okay, he is hurting!"

"Nukka please, remember hugs? You can hug me now, it's fine."

"Nukka did this, Nukka did this, she is like Poppa! No one wants Poppa!"

"Zimi, get away!" Emyri gasped, scooting back to cover Leone as this Grizzly began to lift herself up, claws ready.

"No one likes Poppa, Poppa was bad! Nukka is being bad!"

"Girls!" Cyri called out, when Zimi rushed in and hugged Nukka's chest, or what she could. Everyone kept still, including the Grizzly, her anger subsided as she fell back to her knees. Zimi took advantage and climbed upwards until she reached Nukka's face.

"Nukka, please calm down. Look at me, I'm not angry. We're not mad, we are calm yes?"

"C-Calm." She repeated, with Zimi nodding.

"Now, I am starting to know you a little better. You're gentle inside and that is fine, just be careful when you grow upset. Can you do that for me?"

"For you?" She asked.

"Yes, you can thank me by calming down first okay?" Nukka nodded, with Zimi's heart beginning to subside too. "Now gently sit down. On my mark okay? Slowly, just like me."

"Just like you." She said, following her steps as Zimi gently climbed her way back down. Once her feet touched the snow, so did Nukka's butt. Her nose had grown runny but her anger was slowly fading, which was progress.

"It's just, he looks hurt like Nukka. She was worried those men stung him just like they stung her too."

"Men?" Emyri's eyes grew open as she walked forward. "Wait, what men? Like a village?"

She nodded as Zimi brushed the fur on her paw.

"A village, we think. From up there." She pointed east, yawning and stretching her jaws to a large amount, exposing her sharp carnivore teeth.

Emyri swallowed before looking back at her mother. "Mom, what if they have the medicine he needs?"

"What?"

"What if they have what he needs? I can go get it for him."

"Medicine?" Nukka lifted her head. "They have lots of medicine, lots of food too but that's what got Nukka in trouble. Sh-she can take you! If that means she is sorry for hurting... Nukka hates being like Poppa."

"Nukka is fine, don't worry." Zimi whispered back, glancing at Emyri. "Are you sure? It's crazy."

"Hey, he wouldn't hesitate to save my life, I shouldn't stutter to save his." She answered back, to both her mother and her friend.

Cyri rubbed her head looking stressed and nervous, thinking and pacing. "Isn't there another way?"

"Mother, please. Let me do this."

"But sweety, you don't need to do this for me."

"It's not for us Mom." She looked back into the den with Cyri rubbing her cheek before sighing.

"Even if I said no, you would sneak out. Fine, but you're taking some things with you, no arguing okay?"

Emyri smiled as Zimi yelped and meowed with glee, the other girls following along and celebrating too. Nukka nodded her head and clapped her paws together, laughing.

"Wooohh! Why are we happy?"