A Wolf Returns Home

Kuli began to stir awake, her ears twitching as she began to stretch her paws and flex her tails. The first thing she caught sight of when opening her eyes was a blurry spectacle of sunlight shining its yellow rays through the window. Fortunately the bed was several feet away as to avoid getting direct light on the guest, although Kuli didn't mind. To her, waking up to the warm sun was a reminder of how she grew up outdoors, sleeping with her family huddled together in their little burrows underground. The cuddling was a way of spreading and sharing their body heat amongst each other, with her and Syri cuddling in the center as they were the youngest. Sometimes they slept in their feline form, sometimes in their Nekomata form, it depended on the size of the burrow they slept in.

Normally she would stretch upon waking up first thing in the morning by going on all fours and extending her arms out before working on her legs. That routine had to change as her belly continued to develop and grow through her pregnancy. It was one of the many growing pains she had to endure, but her mother had promised her that pregnancy would be a changing experience to adapt. But in her words, it would be worth it in the end once she got to hold the little one in her arms. In truth, it did worry her that she had no siblings to look to for firsthand experience comfort. Being the first mother as the middle child was not something she had anticipated, though it should have become something to discuss or grow concerned with after the many, many times she would sleep with Felix.

It was not long until her mate began to wake up with sluggish movements from his limbs before lifting his head. Kuli offered a smile before turning to see Reta had been awake in bed as well. She wondered if she had just been awake or had she been up all this time?

Reta rubbed her chest feeling rather sore after their intimate session. How long would it be for, an hour, maybe two before she sat up and began to stretch her limbs. The rooster gave it's morning cry, alerting all nearby that it was time to wake up. Looking back at Kuli, her eyes glanced down at her pregnancy as her fingers traced around the curvature where her future kin were growing. It was strange, the memories were so clear that she would be fooled into thinking that the Nekomata and her were just sharing Felix back at the old cabin before they had encountered the rest of her family. To think of all that they went through over the months that followed, has it been over a year since then?

She sat up suddenly when thoughts about her own family resurfaced, memories that troubled her with unease. Her worried expression did not go unnoticed by the pair as Felix sat up beside her while Kuli rubbed her left arm.

"Something wrong?" Kuli asked, concerned over her friend.

Reta seemed troubled, concerned with something weighing in her mind. She sighed and rubbed her temples, briefly running her fingers through her natural dark blue hair. Her almond eyes seemed to drop with a sense of melancholy as if today seemed to be an event she was dreading for some time. She looked over first toward Felix and then to Kuli before offering a response.

"In a few short hours, the elves will be departing as they embark on their own adventure or something of the sort. I don't recall, traveling to find a new home maybe?"

"What about?" Felix felt a worried feeling crawl up behind his neck, his heart sinking as he felt he knew where this conversation was going. They were going to miss a number of friends, Alma and Spi'Reto would be leading that group after all. The group had converged and conversed numerous times to agree on who would stay and who would depart, without pressure among numbers to influence that decision. Some of the elders were understanding while most of the young ones expressed annoyance at the idea of traveling once again, especially now that the big house project had finished. Dimyri chose to leave with Alma and the others in a pursuit to find a manner of controlling her new transformation state, though that objective seemed secondary to her desire of changing the way the public felt about monster girls. Syri had agreed to stay behind and lead the clutter, as the majority of Nekomata's would stay and make this place a new home for themselves. Perhaps not the house itself, but they had grown fond of the agriculture and the comfort of being able to enjoy themselves around newfound friends and company. They would still be hiding from others but that was the benefit of this location as they rarely had any travelers passing by unless it's someone affiliated through Janette's business.

If there is one thing Felix did wander in his head, it was what their friend Reta would be up to ever since the event with Perdilius had passed. He was not opposed to her staying with them, it was an idea he was rather fond of after all, but it became apparent that he hadn't asked beforehand and ultimately this was her decision to make. He kept quiet as he and Kuli listened to what Reta had to say.

"They have no home, it reminds me of a... of a certain wolf who had no home as well."

Kuli sat up with a huff, pushing herself up with her arms before hugging Reta's arm and resting her cheek on her friends shoulder. "You have a home, Wolfie. You can stay with us."

Felix calmly began to rub her back, leaning in close from her right side. "If you feel like you don't belong, I want to make it clear that you have a place in our hearts. I know what it's like to be a wanderer with no path, no direction other than to survive another day. But we can help you find your path as well, you don't need to go off alone again."

"We can come with you." Kuli huffed, squeezing her friends arm. "No more wolf without a home!"

"That wouldn't be fair to you both, particularly the children. Those kittens need a home, a family, a place to be safe." Reta rebuked in a soft tone. "I could never ask such great favors-"

"You don't need to ask." Felix corrected her.

"And I won't allow it either." She raised her voice, fists clenched as she hung her head. "It's not that I have no home, you don't understand. I... I have... I have a home. It was lost and I ran, my people, my acquaintances, my friends. I lost them and I ran away. But now I realize that I can't run away any further."

She sniffed, wiping her eye as she broke free from the pair and crawled out of bed. She stood up on her feet, turning around to face them with her hands held together in front of her and her head slightly hung with her eyes closed.

"I am grateful for everything you two have done for me and could not ask for anything more. But I do need to ask that you leave me be on this mission, because it won't just help me but it can also help your friends. Janette is in trouble of some sort, we may be turning a blind eye but that mark on her body is similar to a curse. She's been tagged and I know someone who can help."

She hesitated, waiting for them to respond only to feel awkward as they remained quiet. "I uh, I will ask the elves and their group to help me. There is someone there who will present a danger to us, if she is still present. You cannot come with me, I've lost one family to her and I will not lose another! But I cannot hide away like a coward burying my head in shame any longer. Helping you as helped me realize that. Running from your problems only delays the solution and allows them to grow. The woman responsible for my loss will get what's coming to her, by my hand if I must. For my name, for my family, for my clan. It will restore honor in me, but most importantly it will bring peace to those I have lost. Believe me, if you were not expecting children then I would consider your assistance, but this woman is too dangerous, unlike anything we have seen with Perdilius even on her own. She's a different kind of threat, and she has to be stopped."

She paused and drew in a deep breath, her eyes partially opened as she kept her gaze down at the carpet floor to avoid their looks and judgement. "I have made my decision and I ask that you respect it for me. I will be coming back, I promise."

She held her breath as she heard them shuffling and climbing out of bed, before being approached in an embrace by the both of them. She gasped but hugged them back, burying her head in their shoulders as they held her tight and silently gave her their approval.

"You will always have a home with us." Felix said to her in a soft voice.

Kuli kissed her cheek and added to his words, "And you are not alone, don't ever think otherwise."

Norowa Reta nodded, hugging them tight as they could hear people outside the window beginning to call out and pack their belongings. She held on tight as if her life depended on it, hoping she wouldn't need to let go, that somehow she could bring them with her in memory.

"Arigatou." She whispered back to her home.