Losing your Family

"Mommy! Mommy quick!"

Emyri looked to her right as Syri ran up and grabbed her arm. "Mommy, Nityri is back but something's wrong!"

"She is, what's wrong?"

"Mommy she has something on her neck! Hurry!"

Distraught and with no time to think, Emyri followed leaving the rest of her cat friends clueless during mid-conversation. Her daughter led her to a growing crowd of Nekomata's, clustering up and blocking something from view. Whatever attracted that crowd was what Syri was pointing at.

"In there! She just-just walked in and is acting bad! Sh-She's hurting her!"

Swallowing, Emyri nodded and walked up, pushing and pulling the girls away. Those up ahead looked back and noticed, nodding and calling her mother as they made way for her. Several of them made mention of what was going on, but so many voices at once made it unclear to her. She just wanted to see her little girl.

The closer she reached, the louder the angry growls and hissing noise became. It was at the back of her head when she first arrived, but now that her mind was entering panic she bit her tongue to suppress such awful thoughts. No, don't do that now. I should know better. However, nothing had prepared her for what she was now able to see.

There at the center of the crowd stood her missing daughter, angrily snarling and hissing at the top of her lungs. Holding her from behind was her sister Dimyri, and on the ground stood Na'Vi clutching her chest as blood began to stain her fur.

What in the name of the gods has happened here?

"M-Mother!" Shouted a struggling Dimyri as her younger sibling thrashed and whipped at her. "She's not well! Her smell, it's wrong!"

Upon cue, the bystanders took a whiff before pulling back, seemingly revolted by its stench. As Emyri followed, that unsettling feeling returned in her chest. It was the smell of gunpowder and metal, tools that polluted the village not too far off from there.

Her eyes briefly inspecting Na'Vi. she noticed the claw marks on her chest. Unfortunately, the girls surrounding them were to distracted to think clearly. They lacked direction. Gritting her teeth, Emyri went to work.

"Mysa! Ayane! Take her to ZiMi right now! Don't just stand there, NOW!"

They looked at her with scared eyes but nodded. "Yes, Mother!"

Moving Na'Vi carefully away from the spectacle, Emyri was allowed a brief moment of relief before turning her focus onto her raging daughter. It wasn't exactly how she wished to see her daughter return.

"Mom! She won't stop... moving..." Dimyri warned her when suddenly Nityri bent her knees and pushed back hard, hitting her sister in the nose. Stunned, her grip was loose enough for her to slip free and charge with her claws directed to her own mother. So many girls screeched all at once, it was hard for her to hear anything at all. Or perhaps, she heard nothing but the ringing sound of silence when her eyes widened and for a moment, she recalled seeing her Nityri walk her first steps towards her with open arms. Only for the image to be replaced over a decade later with rage in her crimson eyes.

Crimson.

Feeling her body move by instinct, Emyri fell on all fours nearly hugging the floor before sweeping her tails hard, picking up dirt as she threw off Nityri's balance sending her rolling before falling face flat. The numerous cat girls yelped and screamed, backing away once Nityri looked up and growled. Leaping as fast as she could, Emyri pounced onto her and held her down with each paw on top of hers, removing her mobility. Acting quick, she directed her eyes onto that red collar glowing around her attackers neck. It has to be, but removing it was not as easy. As soon as her fangs bit down hard, she felt her nerves twitch and her strength begin to fade. Unwilling to let go, she mustered all of her strength to sink her teeth deep into its fabric, when Nityri pushed her away.

Dimyri gasped, her mother still holding onto the collar before realizing that throw helped remove it. Now holding her neck, Nityri's eyes blinked as the crimson color faded away along with her violent behavior. She appeared dazed at first, collapsing onto her knees as her sister ran up to check on mom. Reassured that she is okay, both their eyes now averted onto Nityri as her words began to mumble.

"Wah... wurr-wey... "

"She's back." Dimyri smiled as she ran and hugged her sister. "What happened to you, where did you go? I thought we lost you!"

Looking around, Emyri's smile began to shift. The screaming never stopped, and that smell was still around.

Shaking her head, Nityri suddenly looked up in shock as her eyes locked onto the torn collar on the ground. "No! No-no-no no! NO I didn't want to do it, no!"

"Hey, back to me. You're safe."

"No, I'm not! And now thanks to me, neither are you!" Nityri cried back to the sound of screams and running as the crowd around them dispersed. Nets went flying, snatching several of the Nekomata's as big men in armor and a shiny gold emblem ran in and tied them down. Emyri felt her breathing rise, noticing so many of them fall victim to these men, realizing that they were no longer living in secret.

"Mommy, I'm sorry-I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to!"

Dimyri looked up in shock as so many of her friends were being grabbed and tied down. "What did you do?"

"I told." She wept, hugging herself as suddenly the smell of fire and clouds of ash began to form, the seemingly giant hollow trees they called home now being set ablaze.

Looking around, Emyri picked up her two daughters and began to run away. Away from where those men were coming from, away from the shouting and cries for help. She couldn't listen to them now, it broke her heart but so many girls that relied on her that day were calling for her, hoping, praying to the skies that she would somehow save them. But she can't, she didn't know how to. Keeping them all a secret was her best way, and that was no longer the case.

"Syri! Syri!" She called, but to no result. So much noise, she had to shout just so her daughters could hear right beside her. "Hold your sister and move north!"

"But mom-" Dimyri cried.

"No buts! You're in charge now, look after her! Take as many girls as you can and run!" Swallowing, Dimyri nodded and carried Nityri away, leaving a concerned mother to look around for her lost daughter. Where could she be at this time, she lost see her at home. Home was gone now, home was south where the attack came from.

"Head north, remember what we trained for! If you can hear me, take as many as you can and move north to the ravine!"

I hope they can hear me, please let them hear me. I can only direct them for so far.

Upon reaching ZiMi's home, she peeked inside to find an injured Na'Vi being treated by someone else instead. Just as she was applying some healing powder over those fresh marks, she looked over and took notice of her.

"MiMi, where's ZiMi?"

"Mom was outside, hopefully to the ravines by now."

Emyri nodded, not daring to say that a mother would most certainly reach our for her children first should they be in danger.

"Cuts are deep, it may take several weeks till the fur hides it. But like this, she'll have some scarring."

She nodded, only to have a small pouch pushed onto her.

"Take it, apply to her once in the morning. Make it last for the next three days." MiMi didn't even look at her, instead quickly moving deeper into the hollow tree. Confused, Emyri followed after her to find another Nekomata with a concerned look on her face laying down in a bed of soft dirt and leaves. MiMi was speaking to her softly whilst inspecting her ankle. "Broken paw, climbing accident. I can't leave her."

"We can take her-"

"Go. Nityri is probably breaking inside looking for her. You have a family to save Emyri. Go."

Feeling a tear drop, she hugged her friend tightly goodbye. "You were so young, how did you grow up so fast?"

"Not now, just go please. You'll be seeing me later."

She pulled back and nodded. "I will, promise." That was her final words as she moved back to the entrance, helping Na'Vi up and walking out.

Outside, the view had grown much worse. Many of the Nekomata's changed into their cat form and ran away, she would do the same if she could. All she could do was walk at a fast pace, keeping her friend steady with her arm wrapped around her for support. Grunting, Na'Vi kicked her feet to help them move faster, partially aware of the danger they were in.

"No arrows! I want them alive!" They heard behind them. Makes sense, seeing how so many were being captured by nets and no swords or spears were drawn.

Finding the ditch not too far from their homes, Emyri gasped as around the corner of a tree a sword was drawn at her, aiming for the neck. Na'Vi looked up to find a silver-haired man looking back at them with their younger sister beside him, his hand gripping her paw. Both he and Emyri stared at each other, not a word among them as the chaos grew. His eyes looked away, his face dropping almost as if in shame somewhat before pulling his sword away and pushing Syri towards them. Nodding, Emyri whispered for them to keep going.

"This doesn't change what you did, bastard." Na'Vi bared her fangs at him as they both walked away, leaving the hunter alone against an empty house with the sound of men cheering and women crying.

"Mom?"

"Not now. There, up ahead." They looked forward to find Dimyri waving her paws for them at the entrance of the small tunnel, calling for them. They reached them in time, briefly hugging before exchanging words.

"How many?"

"Not a lot, like eight or nine. I'm sorry, those guys are everywhere and they were too scared." Emyri nodded, kissing her oldest on the head.

"You did good, I'm proud of you. Come on, inside." She said, crawling into the tunnel first. Nityri stepped out and yelped at the sight of Na'Vi, but Emyri was unable to hear them. Looking back just as Syri crawled in, suddenly a large branch fell down and covered the entrance leaving them in darkness.

"Mommy!"

"Shush-shush, it's okay. Your sister knows what she is doing, she knows where to go. Just keep moving, keep moving. Your sister is a big girl now, we'll find them at the other side. All of them." She whispered, more to herself than to Syri as they continued crawling deeper into the tunnel and towards their escape.

---

"I would have done more, I should have done more. It kills me when I think of it, did I leave too soon? Could I have done better? It happened so fast, maybe if I called out or let you in first, if it was me out there instead..." Emyri cried. "Maybe you would have been safer instead. Maybe I wouldn't have lost you again." She teared up, looking down in an attempt to hide her sorrow.

"I didn't want to remind you when it was clear you forgot... but now you know. You know what I know... and still I don't know anything. Anything aside from knowing that ugly feeling of losing your family again."