Daylight

"Put your backs into it! We won't make progress at this rate!" Perdilius grit his teeth, watching his men struggle with lifting the wagon from one side. They made way for another to wheel in a new replacement wheel. It was daylight, some of the men were rolling up sleeping bags and putting the fire out, with others taking advantage of the river and filling their canteens.

Na'Vi was fidgeting with her hands awkwardly cuffed behind her and chained to her ankles. She was on her knees placed behind him with a familiar Nekomata dozing off beside her. Several feet away was Emyri laying to her side, also chained with MiMi watching over her. Reta had her wrists tired by a rope instead sitting besides the priest.

Her eyes were squinting from the reflection of the sunlight shining off of his chest plate. It seemed no matter where she moved, the rays of light followed just to irritate her. "Never known a damn priest wearing armor."

He kept quiet, steadily looking down to read an open book in hand.

"You know, come to think of it I usually hear about priests preaching to save others, not condemn them. What's up with that?" He paid no attention to her, turning the page over as his men continued repairing their transportation.

"Don't bother, Reta. Better to hold your breath then to try to reason with him. They're all the same in the end." Na'Vi hissed, aiming daggers at him with her look. "I bet it was a lost lover maybe. Bastard wasn't satisfied with one pet so he wants more to add to his collection."

"You assume my motives are from a broken heart for mingling with your kind, but you would be gravely mistaken." He spoke back to her, never leaving his gaze from his book. He looked down when something tugged at his leg, it was MiMi tilting her head and glancing back at Na'Vi. "Go ahead."

MiMi hurried over to Na'Vi immediately. "MiMi wait, don't do this. No! Get your paw off me, stop! I liked you better when you were an empathetic brat!"

"Na'Vi, calm down." Emyri called out. "Try to breathe and see clearly please."

Na'Vi held her breath then, quietly watching as MiMi rolled her to her side and pressed her paw to her ribs. Feeling around, she detected where Na'Vi was hurt and scurried off, digging into the supplies in their wagon. She returned with a rag and spat it out before trying to place it to her side.

"What?"

Emyri smiled sweetly. "It's as I thought, my MiMi is still in there somewhere. Which means... Illia and H'nah, you can hear me too."

Both Nekomata's raised their head and turned to her with an empty look. MiMi licked her paw and approached her master, sitting close as the other two girls dropped their heads to lay down and rest.

"Awkward names for awkward creatures." Remarked Perdilius, closing his book. "They were never gone, mind you. Just trained to my liking."

"I thought you wanted cat girls dead or something." Reta muttered. Perdilius shook his head and sneezed. "Or you want her kids."

"I need them to right a wrong, that is all you need to know." He coughed, clearing his throat and rubbing his neck. "And now you've taken one of my men with you. Bravo, kitty. You always were quite the stubborn type."

Just then, Leone arrived walking down the trail with his horse, feeding it a carrot. He made brief eye contact with Emyri and the other girls before walking towards Perdilius. "Took a minute but I found the trail marks. Just give me the word."

"You have it. There are three of those girls that I need, the others are disposable. One of them appears to look human for unknown reasons, magic is of course to blame. You wouldn't know anyone skilled with magic by chance, would you?" He raised his eye.

Leone shook his head. "Not my profession, why do you ask?"

"You've handled magic before, how did you manage so that your prisoner didn't change shape into a cat and run away?"

"I placed her behind bars. How about yours?"

He scoffed. "They could run, but with my own cats at display I doubt they could manage to escape. We will be heading home now, hunter. It is daylight, time runs short. My business can not proceed without those three girls. There are five of them out there as well as Raz. Bring him back along with the three girls."

"What of the other two? There are five total, that leaves a woman and man out of the equation."

"I don't care. J'nette was given the option, she chose the demons hand, so she suffers the demons fate. Kill her, and the boy too."

Leone's eyes widened as the girls gasped around them. "Kill them?"

"What now? Why is it every time I ask a hunter to hunt, he is ever the most reluctant to do so?" He growled, narrowing his eyes. "Bring the girls back, that is your priority. If you can save him, then do it. If you are given the choice, you know what to decide."

Some of the men nearby overheard and glanced at each other in surprise. Emyri hissed at his command. "You're so driven to catch them you don't care about leaving your own behind?"

Perdilius glared back at her. "Hold you tongue, cat. Before I hold it for you."

He turned back to Leone. "Fetch me the girls, tell them to bring themselves in by nightfall. When the full moon rises and they're not in my hand, one of their own dies."

"That... what if I am unable to reach them before noon?"

He tilted his head and shrugged. "Then best you get moving if you value her life so much."