Day 40: Truce

Zimi held the moist cloth over the hunter's forehead before dipping it into the wet bowl to rinse. Touching his forehead, she smacked her lips as the stress began to resurface. Seems like no matter what she tried, it brought her back to meet the same result, or lack of. A sigh escaped her lips when she leaned in close, wondering a number of things on her mind.

It was fortunate that he has stayed with them for so long, and she wasn't referring to his current unconscious state. This man stuck with them long after they removed his chain and leash, which she greatly missed laughing at. Some enjoy the visual fantasy of having a woman submitted to being someone's pet by being on all fours with a leash and collar around her slim neck. Zimi found it quite funny seeing the roles being switched with Leone being the pet and Emyri as the master, and irony played a great deal in its humor. Although initially reluctant, she figured maybe having a laugh or two wouldn't hurt at his expense as long as they didn't push it too far.

He wasn't the most vocal, but she missed hearing his words.

Her ear twitched, someone was shouting outside. Their voice was faint and distant but they were arriving soon. Just then plenty of Nekomata girls came out of their dens to rush in the same direction as ths voice, with Zimi calling out to know what's happening. One girl kneeled at the den and pomed her head in.

"She's back!"

That's all she needed to hear to bring her back up again.

Emyri arrived riding a panting Nukka, who just about managed the final steps their way before collapsing from her wobbly legs. Plenty of the younger girls giggled and pointed at her exhaustion, with Nukka expressing a subtle smile at the positive attention. Emyri too had arrived feeling fatigued and cold, incredibly stiff in her joints and limbs as her mother walked in to help her down on her feet. As soon as she was standing, she was awarded by the warmest of hugs which might even rival the one she received from Nukka before. It not only warmed her body but it warmed her heart as well, making her purr.

Cyri reached in and kissed her daughter's cheek with a smile. "Welcome back, sweetie. We've missed you dearly."

"Thanks, Mother. I brought back some medicine! Along with, some other things..."

She mumbled those final words as the girls began to retreat a few steps away. More and more shadows began to approach them from the direction which Emyri and Nukka arrived from. Cyri squinted her eyes to see what looked like fluffy furballs on stumpy legs approaching them. Emyri held her paw, whispering that it was okay as the shadows grew more distinct and clear, realizing that it was a group of people wearing heavy layers of fur around them. Leading them was a woman carrying her child in her arms, marching forward to meet Cyri. Her little boy looked around at the curious faces before burying his own in his mother's shoulder.

"G-Greetings, I am Alma and these are my people from the Northern Mountains." Cyri stared at this woman before awkwardly shaking her hand with both paws. "It isss a pleasure to meet you."

"A pleasure to meet you too, I wasn't aware we were having visitors." She turned to look at her daughter with a stern eye.

Emyri shrugged. "Long story, but she agreed to help treat Leone. They needed a new home so... yea."

"I... well, I apologize but we will do our best to honor my daughters word. I understand you can help our friend recover?"

"Perhaps, I need to see him first if I may?" Alma asked, reaching for the large bag she had slung to her waist.

"I'll take her, you guys go ahead and get acquainted." Emyri mentioned, pointing at the rest of Alma's people who huddled close together staring back at the numerous cat women. One mother was covering her child's eyes, uncomfortable with their casual and natural appearance. Alma followed Emyri towards the den where she raised an eye and shook her head.

"A hole on the dirt?"

"It keeps us warm, get used to it because this will be your homes for some time. After you." Alma gently placed her child down and whispered to him to stay there before laying down and sheepishly crawling through. Emyri quickly followed with Zimi staring at the new visitor with saucers for eyes.

"Hi!?" She nearly shouted, alarmed and frightened until her friend had emerged. "And you are?"

"She's here to check on him." Emyri confirmed, with Alma tugging at her bag and moving closer to reach the unconscious man laying down. Touching his forehead, she quickly scuffled through her bag and went to work, grabbing at glass bottles and beginning to mix and brew her stuff. Zimi watched with interest as Alma calmly added what she could best describe as separate colored powders into a larger mix before requesting for some water. When she passed her a wooden bowl, Alma mixed the ingredients in and stirred before lifting the hunters head and pressing it to his lips.

"Can he drink it when he's sleeping?" Emyri asked.

Alma nodded. "He's drinking it now, he's with us but in a comatose state. With this entering his system, the effects should begin to kick in a couple of hours. The sweating will stop and he will be walking by tomorrow morning."

"Wow." Zimi replied, "You need to teach me that stuff."

Alma shuffled her equipment back into her bag. "Once we reach your end of the deal, perhaps. The river you had mentioned, when will we be going?"

"We have plenty of salmon here in the meantime, at least until the snow calms down." Emyri calmly explained as she scooted closer. "Alma, thank you. If this works, then I owe you big time."

"You owe us much more, starting with food preferably now." She coldly responded, crawling back out the hole to check on her son.

Zimi turned back to look at her friend. "Wow, she's a hard one."

"For a good reason though, they've had it hard. They're from that village we stole from, remember?"

"The one up north?" She gasped, "How the heck did you convince them to help?"

"I've no clue, honesty I think it's because they needed the help more than we did. They're taking the river as a trade for helping Leone. Kind of figured it would take longer to help him though."

"Yea, just drinking that stuff is going to be enough to help him for good? Makes me look like an idiot in comparison." Zimi chuckled, shaking her head. "Good thing though, because all this stress was making me shed my fur."

"Figures, you're going bald I just didn't want to say." Emyri smirked as her friend stuck her tongue out.

"Right, still make a better wife than you."

"Definitely." Emyri laughed back, sighing in relief as she brushed Leone's silver hair and wiped the sweat from his head.

"So, this means we're in a truce then? With the village people and Nukka?"

She nodded. "Yea, somehow. I guess so, figured a truce was needed with everything that's been going on now."

"Well congrats, Head Mom! You've brought peace and justice for all." Zimi reached in and gave her friend a hug.

"Thanks Zimi, for everything." She hugged her back, feeling herself slip away until she was laying on her back as well. "I think I need a nap."

"Go for it, champ. I'll help Mother see to the others." Zimi smiled, scurrying out through the exit. Emyri yawned and snuggled up to Leone, watching him rest and hearing the soothe beating of his heart. It brought a smile to her and before she knew it her eyes had sealed themselves shut and she had fell into a coma of her own.