Meet Cyri

Emyri crawled outside of the burrow of which hid the interior of their den. Due to the dropping temperatures and foreign landscape, they decided to dig underground and create a cramped housing shelter instead to best keep themselves warm and safe from predators. This particular hole was recently widened to fit a teenage hunter through, the other burrows were much tighter in width given how they could transform into cats after all. Dens in the dirt was not something she would prefer, but it was something she put up with in order to survive. Besides, her friends seemed ecstatic for the experience alone so...

"Emy!" She turned her head to greet a familiar friend, a young dark haired woman of her age with a more narrow waist and slimmer frame in comparison. "You know you're not supposed to be in there alone."

"Shh-shush! No one else saw and besides, it wouldn't hurt to know a thing or two about him. I've never seen one of them up close, they look much younger than Mom said. Did your mom come up with any green herbs for him?"

Her friend Zimi shook her head. "Momma says they only work on Nekomata. He's going to be much more tricky to heal, was he dizzy or faint?"

"No, nothing of the sort. Just a bit dazed from not knowing where he was, and scared too."

"Scared, him?"

Emyri nodded. "He says he isn't but I don't know, I could hear the crack in his voice when he asked if we were going to kill him. It sort of... "

"What?"

"Well... I guess it reminded me of how I felt when I was caught too."

"I didn't know hunters could be scared, are you sure he's one?"

"He's either a hunter or a liar, but the way he attacked those wolves looked like he knows how to fight, somewhat."

Zimi crossed her arms. "Wait, you said you fought off those wolves and then he found you, what's this about him fighting the wolves?"

Emyri blushed and began to chuckle to herself. "Oh, I-I said that? You're sure you're not making this up?"

"Mm-hm. Oh, I almost forgot your mom is back! She wants to see you."

"Mom!?" Her eyes opened wide. "Ehhh I don't know about seeing her right now."

"What? Why not, she was awful worried about you."

"Sh-She was?"

"Yes! We all were, Emyri I didn't think I would see you again. She wouldn’t sleep last night, making up plans to help you escape. But when we heard that bell then things felt much more awful. Just... awful."

"I didn't know."

Zimi raised her eye, waving the tip of her tail at her friend.

"Emyyyy, Mommy's would do anything for their babies. Your sisters would be worried sick too if they were still here."

"I don't know Zi, she always compares me to them every time I mess up. I just feel like I'm more of a nuisance sometimes." Her friend's eyes were as big as saucers at that point, leaving Emyri feeling awkward. "What, is it that weird to say? I'm being a jerk, aren't I?"

"Just a bit, dear." Before she could react, she felt too large arms scoop her tiny frame from behind and lift her up, spinning her so many times before finally she felt her feet touch the ground. All the while, she was nuzzling her daughter tightly, rubbing her cheek against hers.

"Oh my precious little kitty, you had me so scared!"

"Moooom." Emyri blushed, catching the snickering from the other girls. "People are watching."

"Let them watch, nothing wrong with a mother showing her love!" Compared to Emyri, her mother Cyri was one of the bigger girls in the tribe. Pronounced See-Ree, her mother was famously recognized for her talent with the food, crafting and cooking amazing meals for all to enjoy. Being well familiarized with food all the time, as well as being the Head Mother of their tribe took its toll on her, and Cyri's frame began to drop. Her once beautiful build began to gain a few extra pounds, and now she was what Emyri would politely describe as big boned.

Though oddly enough, she would claim that plenty of men would find her attractive in her frame, something about being a big, beautiful woman or something of the sort, her friends would always laugh whenever it was brought up so eventually Emyri gave up on asking. She wasn't overweight to a dangerous extent, just happened to be a bit more on the curvy side, not exactly obese mind you.

When she was let go of, Emyri was rewarded with a sudden slap to her arm.

"Ow!"

"That was for sneaking off without telling me, you know what I have told you about people outside our clutter."

Before she could respond, Emyri was scooped up and embraced again.

"And this is for giving me a heartache, and for scaring me and coming home."

"Aagh, mom! You're crushing m-me."

Cyri quickly let go, allowing Emyri to breath and rub her sides. "Sorry, now what's this I hear about a hunter among us?"

Emyri spun around, glaring at Zimi. She shrieked. "I didn't mean too, it just slipped!"

"Emyri, did you give the order to take him with us?" Emyri tucked her head under her shoulders before nodding. Cyri shook her head and placed her hands to her hips. "Abusing your power isn't the way you take control, Em."

"I wasn't abusing my power mom, I-"

"Now look what you did, you brought a hunter into our homes?"

"Not ours! Just... mine. Let me explain-"

"Em! Is this hunter someone you fancy? We can find a better man for you at a much better place than here, are you still having those cramps?"

Zimi giggled with Emyri rolling her eyes and groaning. "Mom, gross. I don't like him, I just want to ask him things."

"What things?"

"I don't know, just you know-things! Like what he does, why he does it, maybe understand why people hate us so much? Is that weird to want to know?"

Cyri sighed, letting her hands drop. "Sweety, nobody hates us."

"Then why are we the ones running and hiding mom? I just... look I'm sorry and I'll get him out tomorrow okay? I just-I just thought I could do something different that's all."

Her mother hugged her tight, keeping Emyri's head nuzzled against her chest and brushing her daughter's soft flowing hair.

"Deary, I will need to speak to the others about this. Some won't feel like you do, how did you capture him by the way?"

"He saved her from a pack of wolves." Zimi chimed in.

"Zi, what the hell!"

"Ah-ha! So that is the truth, I knew you were lying to me!" Zimi beamed, sticking her tongue out at her friend. Emyri turned around and crossed her arms in a huff.

"He can stay for the night, but I don't want you in there alone with him, okay? Tonight you can sleep with me." Cyri said, before beginning to walk away.

"But mom-"

"No butts missy! Now, if you girls will excuse me there is a meeting I need to request. Just one night, for all you know. We will be waiting for you deary, they'll most likely have questions for you."

Sigh. "Thanks mom, I'll be there."

She nodded, waving at them before running off.

"Gosh, another meeting?"

"Yea, seems I keep getting more and more popular with that, huh?"

Zimi crossed her arms behind her head. "So what are you doing now?"

"This won't change much, if I have just one day then I'm taking it. I got a lot to ask him-"

"But Em, mother said-"

"I know, Zi. I know, but I still want to know, don't you think what he knows could benefit the clutter?"

"I... maybe?"

"Well it's not a no, so that's fine by me." Emyri smirked. "Could you help fix my hair? They'll probably call me in like, twenty minutes."

"Sure!" Emyri smiled, walking side by side with her friend. Well, she was given one night with the young hunter at the least. No matter how the meeting goes, she was glad she had managed some support from her mother at lesst.

Now if she could convince the others not to kill Leone, that would be nice.