Aftermath and Aftercare

Felix looked up, tapping Reta by the arm and standing up with her. They both watched as a group of women walked into view, carrying a Nekomata between them. Upon realizing who it was, he felt his heart drop and rushed towards them. Janette spoke first, but words were unintelligible to his ears. All he heard was a mute, quiet ringing sound as he helped carry KuliKuli inside, with Janette following behind.

Syri stayed back and watched, turning to face Reta. "Where's mom?" She asked with worry and concern in her voice.

"I'm right here."

Both girls looked back to see Emyri walking towards them, dragging her feet with a horse following behind her. Her face look drained and devoid of joy, only sorrow remained in her eyes. Her daughter ran up and hugged her tight, both girls holding each other for support after what happened.

"There there... she's a tough cookie. She's your sister, hey look at me. She will be fine, and we'll get our Dimyri back yes? Say the word."

Sniffling and holding back tears, Syri nodded and answered with a cracked voice. "Yes."

That was enough for her, she hugged her precious girl tight and closed her eyes, hoping she could put her daughter's emotions above her own. Reta looked on, sighing in defeat and punching the door hard. Pulling back her bruised knuckles, she winced and leaned back, uncertain of what to do. Of what she can do.

---

"What happened?"

"She's in a state of shock, she'll be fine."

"She's bleeding." He held her paw as Janette pulled out a drawer and dug through its objects, fishing out a roll of gauze and a half-full bottle. Reaching for a rag, she cupping it over the bottle's opening and dipped it upside down before putting the container away.

Looking up, she saw the worry in his eyes and paused.

"It's to disinfect, the wounds look small. I need to clean the area first to see if its deep, but judging from the bleeding it doesn't look that way."

She was hoping they would have some sort of calming effect on him, but he cupped her cheek to observe its reddish color, his mate's eyes closed as she slept in a near peaceful state. "She looks hurt, I don't know what to do."

"You're doing it." She replied, pressing the wet rag against the cuts to wipe away the blood. He looked back at her and she nodded. "Trust me, you're doing it already. You're here for her."

He swallowed and looked back at her, he didn't feel any tears but only a difficulty in breathing, almost on the brink of choking. Each intake of air felt difficult, his throat felt swollen and his heart kept racing for miles. "Did he take them, did he do this to her? The Leone guy from your book?"

She looked up once more after applying a small band-aid on each cut, putting the gauze away. "I don't know, but I am inclined to believe so. I told her to run ahead while I waited, once Syri and I arrived she was on the ground just staring away."

At the brief recollection of tonight, she felt an immense pain of guilt begin to wash through her. Maybe if she hadn't sent her off first, she wouldn't be hurt like this. Her hands began to shake, but she shook her head and pushed those thoughts away.

"There. Stay with her for the night, she could use a familiar face when she comes to. I'll go talk to the others." He nodded and sat beside KuliKuli laying on the bed, breathing lightly. Her hand at the door, Janette looked back wanting to say some words of encouragement to him, but felt herself choke at a loss for any. Besides, his focus was all on her now so it didn't matter anyway. Closing her eyes, she shut the door to leave them alone.

---

"It was a diversion." Emyri began, still holding her daughter beside her as they now sat at the dining room table. "I caught a smell so we went after it thinking it would lead us to them, but when we heard the whistle Syri turned back. I kept going and found a horse instead, with two empty sacks once full with whatever that smell is. He threw us away from him, got him the exit he needed."

She stroked her daughters hair, Reta leaning over the table and Janette opting to stay on her feet rather than to sit. She kept quiet, Reta noticed she had a pondering look to her and asked. "What's on your mind?"

"I'm thinking," She paced a bit, several feet to the west, stop, then several feet to the east, repeat. "It's an awful thought but why didn't he take KuliKuli with him? He has Na'Vi and Dimyri, so what kept him from grabbing her as well?"

Emyri kept quiet, holding Syri close. Janette noticed they were averting their eyes from her.

"Well, maybe he was short on time and wanted a clean getaway? I mean, that diversion is a bit poor in my taste, there are better ways of throwing trackers off your trail." Reta tapped her fingers on the table, "I mean we have a pony now, we can start looking for the girls with that horse first."

"What do you mean?" Emyri questioned.

"That horse has a saddle equipped, so its owned."

"By the hunter, I would assume."

"You would think that, but I wouldn't use my horse for a diversion unless I was desperate." She countered. "So whoever that horse belongs to, we can start by finding its owner and then moving from there."

"You're right." Emyri said, Janette nodding in agreement. "It's not something I would think about."

Reta shrugged. "I used to look after cattle, including horses. Usually people have a signature on their saddles, especially if the horse is meant for public use."

"I thought your village was a fisherman bay?" Janette asked.

"Ya, so?"

"Well, that's a good lead. I hate to say it, but I think we should get some rest. It's asking the impossible but it's really late at night, we aren't doing anything until morning. I'll go double check the locks, you guys go get your beds and rest well." Reta nodded and the cat girls stood up before walking away, with Syri glancing over at Janette before walking away.

"Need any help?" Reta asked before leaving the room.

"You already are. Goodnight Reta." She nods and leaves the room, leaving Janette alone. Alone with her thoughts and struggles.

She sighed. "This was fucking crazy." She muttered under her breath, rubbing her head as she slumped against the wall.