The Blooming Bud of Spring

Felix sat down on the stool, his face tattered with mud stains and his hair a matted mess. Pulling the sleeve of his tunic back, he gently dragged his forearm across his forehead, wiping the dripping sweat from his brow, feeling his strength begin to wane. The cow beside him nudged his arm with her head, her jaw chewing on a mouthful of grass as her tail flicked from side to side. He leaned back, resting his arms against the wooden fence, his head leaning back as he welcomed the cool damp air that day. Staring just above the green hills, he noticed the faraway mountains staring back, standing tall and mighty with their dark blue shadowing and a soft white tip growing atop it. Seems like winter was just one week away.

Kuli pushed open the side door from their little house, cupping a empty bucket in her paws settled just above her growing belly. Setting the bucket beside a nearby pan, she brushed her hair away to keep an eye on her mate. Felix hadn't noticed her yet as she leaned against the door frame, grinning from ear to ear watching him take a moment to recover his breath. Knowing Felix as well as she does, it won't be long before he forces himself to continue with his farm work. Her tails idly rubbed her cheeks as she giggled at the thoughts in her mind before slipping away and shutting the door behind her.

Felix turned his head, catching sight of her tails just before they pulled the wooden door shut. She hasn't been able to move as quickly now that she is beginning to show. He scratched his chin, feeling the rough, patchy texture of hair that others would call a beard. He wasn't a fan of facial hair, it made him look different in a way he was not welcomed to just yet. With the new beard, he caught himself double-checking his reflection as it made him look older.

"Hmmm." His eyes glanced around the light gray skies, covered in misty clouds as far as he could see. It would be a damp and cool night, but no sign of rain just yet. He wondered if perhaps a rainstorm would be fast approaching like it had the year before. He turned to look at the tool shed behind the house, it's material made from a combination of oak wood and clay. Janette mentioned it would help if the shed wasn't constructed from metal this time, he took her word for it. Looking down at his ring finger, he noticed the shade on his skin where the ring once was stayed as a reminder of a new past, one he was far more willing to share and reminisce upon. No one would believe it, but that's okay. He wasn't quite social anyway, he had all the friends and family he needed as it was.

He approached the side door and scooped up the empty bucket, returning back to the barn where the same cow kept her eyes on him. Bringing the stool with him, he sat down and positioned the bucket below her udders when a frown crept along his brows. "I forgot to wash it first."

Kuli was careful in fluffing the pillows and needed much practice in helping around the house. After the first few months, he began to worry that perhaps she should do less now that she was beginning to show. She would not have it, the days grew long and boring if she were to sit around all day and it reminded her of why she couldn't keep to herself back home with the clutter in the grassy plains. She enjoyed it, the challenge of adapting her paws and the creativity of using her tails to perform such tasks. Emyri helped teach her how to cook a few meals, and in time Kuli and Felix would take turns preparing the meals. He would spoil her, keep her well fed, always ask if she's feeling well, it sometimes annoyed her feeling pampered like a baby and he would apologize and behave himself. In the first month, she would go out more, he taught her about gardening, reminded her how to clean and feed the animals, and it felt just like before when he took her in. She would smile when he wasn't looking, often tickle his side with the brush of her tail when he was concentrating, even wake him up by laying on top and cupping his face with her furry paws.

She rarely turned into her feline form, she had adapted to the liberty of being free. Her body, her limbs, her speech, it felt very liberating to her, she saw it like she had grown into someone new, found something better, and found the notion of turning back into a cat as a very constricting experience. Sure, movement was easier in her furry body, but why hide herself when she lived with her favorite person?

An hour had passed before Felix went inside, his hair sagging like a wet mop with stains on his tunic and sleeves. Placing his shoes next to the door, his nose wiggled as he caught the smell of something fruit with a hint of spice coming from the furnace. Hung beside the fire was a boiling pot with a brown syrupy liquid texture, steaming and filling his nose with that welcoming taste. He smiled, tasting a bit of carrot in the mixture through a quick whiff and licking his lips in response. Quickly, he turned his head and spat out the grimy bit of mud he accidentally caught by the tip of his tongue, glancing up as Kuli watched with a paw on her hip and a smile on her face.

"I knew you were lying when you said my food is good." She teased.

Felix shook his head, making the mistake of wiping his mouth with his muddy sleeve and recoiling upon realizing. She walked up and gently dragged a furry paw around the corner of his lip, wiping away the dried dirt which stuck to his skin.

"You're a mess." She giggled as he smiled in return, leading him through the hall into the square room. The tub was full with a hot, steamy water as she helped him undress.

"Thanks." He said, stepping his foot inside. Hot, but hot enough not to burn. The child inside him wanted to jump in right away, but he had enough work cleaning up a mess for today.

Kuli eyed his wet tunic and ruffled his damp hair. With a quick sniff, she gave him a look. "Milk again?"

He shrugged, sitting and leaning back against the tub and closing his eyes. "Messi lives up to her name as always."

"Master, I told you to move the bucket away as soon as she starts fussing."

"I do, but she's learning. Today, she was stomping her hind leg from time to time until I stopped pulling back before kicking the bucket."

Kuli smiled, pouring water on his head and rubbing it into his hair. "Is a cow smarter than a human?"

"Don't you mean hoo-man?" He smiled back, receiving a playful smack on his arm. She scooted to the side of the tub, reaching out to caress his cheek as they gazed into each other's eyes. He looked down for a brief moment. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, it's just a little belly bump thanks to you." She smiled as his hand reached down to pet her tummy. His warm palm felt soothing around her skin, she found herself purring to the tickling sensation she felt as his fingers roamed and danced around her navel. He couldn't get enough of hearing that, he stopped when she cupped his hand. "Don't forget about tomorrow, sunrise."

"That's great." He groaned, running a hand through his soaked brown hair. "I was hoping to sleep in after the hard labor I had all day."

"You did ask her for it." KuliKuli giggled, rubbing his wet head when her smile began to fade. "Aunt Alma still says she will be leaving when the house is done."

"That's not so great." He quickly adjusted himself, sitting up in the tub as he noticed the drop in her eyes.

"It's not, but... well." Her ears began to drop, hanging low as her tails followed soon.

"I don't want them to go either, but it's what they want. We'll be here waiting for them to visit back." He held her paw, giving her fur a reassuring squeeze.

"I... well... I know my... he." Her brows came together as she hesitated. "Had to leave. But now it feels like everyone is going. I just hope that we don't need to be in danger again for them to come back."

He reached out and pulled her in, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck.

"Some are staying too." He reminded her. "And I'm not going anywhere. This is our house now."

"Our family." She added, hugging him back. She nodded and pulled away, blushing as he wiped her eyes for her. "Thank you. Now, let's get you clean because Mommy is hungry!"

Just like that, he smiled and leaned back as she returned to her cheerful self.

"Let's get going ladies! You, rake a little to the left." Janette shouted, the puzzled Nekomata staring back before dragging her claws in another angle. Janette walked down a brown pathway where dozens of cat girls stood down several rows from left to right, digging up small fist-sized holes. Hanging from the strap around her shoulder was a large sac with the opening tied up nicely, Janette stood around patiently on a wide dirt path leading straight to a large rectangular plot of land where the remaining Nekomata women were busy fixing up several wooden beams with the help of a few elders.

"Does this look right, Miss?" Janette turned to the direction of that voice, seeing a familiar woman with wavy blonde hair wearing a lime green dress.

"Wh-what?" Her voice cracked as she rubbed her eyes and stepped back. When she looked again, she found it was a redheaded cat girl who was waving her paw with a worried look on her face.

"Miss? Did I do it wrong?" She asked, her tails touching the tips in a shyly manner.

"Uhmm, you did it fine, you did well." She didn't even glance at the hole, keeping a hand on her chest as she shook her head left and right. Looking at the back of her hand, she saw the skin glistened in the reflection of day light as if her hands were wet. This made her look around before keeping her head low and placing the sac of seeds on the ground. Some of the girls watched as she hurriedly walked away, making her way towards the village campsite.

"You can't keep hiding this, it's in your best interest to let the others know." Alma carried a wooden bowl in her hand filled with a skin-colored substance, mixing it with a wooden spoon. She turned around and approached Janette who was sat on her knees with her head in her hands. She shook her head as the elf kneeled down in front of her. "Let me see it."

Janette held her breath and raised her head, revealing a pair of tired baggy eyes, the kind that haven't seen rest for weeks. Dipping her thumb into the milky substance, Alma raised her hand and gently applied the makeup under her eyes with a touch to her cheeks to add some life to her saddened state. When finished, she put the bowl away and reached for a rag, adding a light nunber of taps to the applied makeup until the creamy texture blended with her skin to disguise those exhausted eyes of hers.

"Thanks, sorry I came back in so soon. My makeup ran out, I need that list of yours to see if I can buy a few at the Market." She paused when Alma reached forward with her thumb and finger on her chin, meeting her eyes as she raised her head.

They were the type of eyes her mother would give her when she found herself in trouble and in need of help. "Show me it. I need to see if it has progressed."

Janette fussed and hugged her chest, feeling a deep wave of dread fill her poor heart. This was something she was hoping to avoid, and for a moment she began to regret coming here. But Alma would not have it, it was her bargain. In return for her silence, Janette would not back talk or question her requests. They were never malevolent, but she knew Janette would have kept this to herself if she figured a way to treat it alone. ****, she nodded as her fingers reached behind, undoing the lace to free up the waist of her dress. She tugged on the collar, pulling the garment down until her breasts came into view. Alma didn't flinch, her eyes remained on the spot underneath her chest, marked into the skin below her lower abdomen. It was a strange looking mark, appearing like a birthmark due to its nature, leaving an impression that someone had carved it onto her skin somewhat.

"It's grown." Alma's eyebrows squeezed together as she took notice of the increase in size.

"It's been fifteen weeks, how does it grow by itself?"

"I can tell you that." Janette gasped and covered her breasts, looking up as a silhouette stood at the entrance. Norowa Reta rolled her eyes and stepped in, adjust the flap so that no wandering eyes may peak through. "Really now, I've seen more than your tits before. I think we are past being modest with each other."

Janette looked annoyed. "Easy for you to say, you walk naked whenever the full moon comes through and you turn wolf. I'm a little more modest, besides there is enough tits going around with all the cat girls we have. And what are you doing here?"

Reta placed a hand on her curvy waist, giving her a raised eyebrow look while tilting her head slightly. Spinning back around to confront Alma, Janette scowled. "You told!"

"Your mark has been growing and we have no knowledge why. You know I was against keeping this a secret." Alma sternly informed her with crossed arms. "Your friend has experience with curses, informing her seemed beneficial for your health."

"Come on Jay, stop being stubborn."

"Well-" Janette sighed, turning around to look at Reta with a defeated look. Dropping her arms, she would avert her eyes knowing that she would feel worse if she glanced down to see for herself what had changed. It felt like going through puberty all over again, but much worse. This time, her mother wasn't here to sit her down, comfort her and tell her it would be okay.

"That book would come in handy now, but I think I know something about this. When did you first notice it?" Reta asked, her eyes narrowing at the distinct shape of the mark.

Janette looked away, rubbing her arm. "Hard to say, several moons after the tower collapsed perhaps? I was washing and believed it to be a scar. It had no shape or form, just a curved mark. But a fortnight had passed and I began to take notice of its size. A small curve began to form a spiral, and more was beginning to appear. More lines, more markings."

"Any feeling behind it?" Reta asked, her eyes looking up to meet her own. Despite Reta's personality, her eyes did show a sign of concern for her, Janette took a moment to feel relieved only briefly.

"No, I can feel it when I run my hand against the skin, but... there's no pain. Unless you count my... you know, thirty moon thing."

"The red flower, we're all women here we all know the feeling." Reta stated as an interesting thought crossed her mind. "Your cramps happen there, hai?"

Janette nodded, Alma inched in closer as the two could see something going on in Reta's mind.

"Hmmm, this is something similar. I don't know enough about magic, but I know someone who might. She has a knack for that, knows a lot about curses and spells."

"Curse!?" Janette felt her voice crack, feeling her heart jump to her throat.

"Relax, I didn't say it's a curse. But I think we all know where this is from. What happened when you went in and came back as someone else? Do you remember?"

Alma leaned in. "Something I'm missing?"

"Long story short, the priest completed the ritual and some strange glowing light appeared. Some of us went in, but she came out as someone else named Vy. It was... strange." Reta's tone fell short by the end, recounting the events that happened months ago. Both women did notice the change in Janette's facial expression. One glance to the other and they knew someone was keeping a secret.

"You need to tell everyone now." Both said in unison. Janette recoiled but hung her head and nodded, knowing that this would happen eventually.

"Can I... do this tonight, please? Just let me prepare for it."

"Tonight, but no more secrets. You tell everything, lies will only lead to pain and betrayal." Alma hissed, standing back on her feet as Reta followed soon.

"Tonight, no exception. Got it?" Reta asked.

"Got it." She repeated, looking up to see a hand offered to her. She accepted it, holding on as Reta and Alma pulled her to her feet.

"It's not easy, I get it. I've been there, I won't be on your butt about it. But I will be pinching your nipples if you don't cover up those perky bits." Reta smirked as Janette scoffed and pushed her back, sliding her dress back on to cover her chest.

"Hya!"

Felix lept back, eyes wide open as the claws missed his face by an inch. The Nekomata had spun around, catching him by surprise with a swift kick to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Felix was sent rolling on the grass like a tumbleweed on a windy day, stopping himself with a shocked look in his eyes, panting in an attempt to catch his breath. He hoped she would go a bit easy, grant him a moment to fill his lungs with air, but Na'Vi granted no mercy as she launched herself at him on all fours, pouncing atop her prey.

He swallowed and instinctively raised his arms, his hands found a firm grip around her. Taking advantage of her momentum in the air, he launched her several feet behind him, redirecting her pounce as Na'Vi found herself rolling along the grass this time, recovering rather quickly with a fierce look of aggression in her eyes. She hissed, showing her carnivorous teeth and sharpened fangs, it was clear she held no intention of going easy on him today. He had to wonder if perhaps she found a level of enjoyment whenever they repeated their sparring sessions every week.

Now determined to give it his best, Felix made the decision to go on the aggressive front, running toward his opponent and sealing the gap between them. Na'Vi, though caught by surprise, smirked as she accepted his approach and dashed toward him once again on her four paws. But Felix had learned from her repeated approach, his feet digging into the grass until dirt trends were made as he grinded to a sudden stop. Stepping to the side, he watched as a surprised Nekomata lept past him, her eyes noticing the direction of his arms when she felt his fingers close around her ankles. Using her motion as leverage, he spun her around in the air, tossing her back from where she stood, but the cat was having none of it. In truth, even with the advantage of sharing the same eyes, what Felix still lacked was the agility of a cat girl and the strength of her tails. He tossed her aside yes, but he hadn't noticed her twin tails wrap around his forearms in time as she turned the move around, using her thrown momentum to throw Felix around as well.

Kuli stepped outside, shielding her eyes from the morning sun, her lips parted in awe as she witness her mate eat dirt as he landed face down. Felix took his time pushing himself up, wiping the grass from his face and spitting a few times when some dirt found his lips. Na'Vi had calmed down, approaching him as Felix turned around quickly before realizing she was no longer attacking him. He shook his head, using his knee to push himself back on his feet before brushing his messy hair away from his face.

"I thought I had you," He coughed, still not yet recovered from having the air knocked out of him. "I didn't see that, when did you do that?"

"Everyone always underestimates the tails, that's the point. You don't see them because they're behind us, and when you do most species just stare at our ass and forget the tails are there." Na'Vi sniffed, wiping her runny nose before noticing the blood it left on her fur.

Both of them turned around as Kuli was gleefully clapping her paws together, which rather than a clapping noise it made an odd yet distinct cupping noise instead. Her wide smile was infectious as Felix felt his strength rise just by seeing her happy. "That looked like fun, how did he do?"

"Still sloppy, but he's getting there. He's starting to learn how to read me." Na'Vi mentioned, noticing how Felix held a rather proud look on his face. "Which means I can stop using the same four moves and start training him on new stuff. If he was a Nekomata, then he has advanced to the adolescent period of training."

Felix frowned upon hearing that before Kuli hugged his arm. "Aw, my Master is getting better. Oh, so strong too! And smelly, bleh."

"Come here." Felix reached in, embracing her in a hug. Kuli squealed in a sudden fit of giggles, playfully struggling to push him away. He spun her around and she looked over his shoulder to see Na'Vi roll her eyes. She raised her arms up in a shrug-like manner before hugging him back. Felix patted her back, opening his eyes when her heard a soft chewing by his ear. Pulling away, he could see Kuli attempt to keep her tails out of sight. "What do you have there?"

"Nu-fin!" She mumbled, smiling while keeping her lips sealed. He noticed her quickly swallow before glancing down at her shadow, catching something held by her tails. Folding his arms, he gave her a look and she sheepishly smiled. He raised his hand, she reluctantly moved her tails over it and placed the hidden grapes she kept around.

"Grapes?" Felix chuckled, noticing she was eating them by the mouthful judging by the teeth marks on some leftover grapes on the stem.

"Wah, I'm hungry!" She pouted, snatching them back and taking a wide open bite. She chewed with a frown, her paw rubbing her belly gently until she swallowed. "You try keeping yourself to three meals when you have kittens inside you. It's not easy!"

"I guess so." He agreed, seeing her raised her head in victory as she polished off the remaining grapes.

"I'll be inside, bring him back in one piece okay?" She smiled, waving her tails as she retreated back into the cabin, closing the door behind her.

Na'Vi brushed the blood from her fur while Felix removed his tunic to wipe his face clean. "She looks well."

"Yea, been draining our food rations fast. Yesterday, I realized our two weeks of food was cut down to two days left at best. She's been eating often, how long until she's ready again?" He asked.

Na'Vi raised her brow. "Several months, same with most mammals. Treat her well, she's not KuliKuli or Nityri anymore."

He nodded, tossing his tunic away. "Alright, I'm ready."

Na'Vi stared then shook her head, he may not be the best fighter but he is persistent.