Reunited with Exile

Alma adjusted her posture and tilted her head, stretching her neck before standing up straight again. The tension surrounding them was so thick that some found it difficult to breathe. It was not the easiest question to ask, or the simplest vote to cast. In truth, she herself wasn't certain about her own voice contributing towards it, but Dimyri had requested for this. This was to honor her word after all they've accomplished.

"I ask again, who here believes he should be given a second chance? Is there the opportunity for acceptance for this man, speak up and cast your vote with your head held high or remain in silence, but know that your silence casts its own vote."

The tribe surrounding them filled with elders, Nekomata children and the recently recovered Nekomata women glanced around sheepishly. No one had the courage to oppose, but most seemed to agree with just a look in their eyes what they've agreed to. Alma took a deep breathe, flinching from the brief pinch of pain she felt to her lung before rubbing her sore wound where her bandage wrapped around her chest. She looked to her left when her son cleared his throat, raising his eyebrow when they locked eyes. She rolled her eyes and reluctantly gave in, submitting to her health and sitting back down as was instructed to her. Spi'Reto gave a smug grin, sitting up in bed and amused at his mother's annoyance. He would have entertained a brief laugh if it wasn't for his own wounds, the wrappings around his chest and the painful yawns served as a reminder for him. He chose to lean back in his bed, closing his eyes as his mother watched. For a moment, she could see his father's smugness shine through him and it lifted her spirits with joyful memories.

At last, one of the Nekomata women spoke up, albeit nervously. "It's not that we don't want him, i-it's just... he's him."

"If it were any stranger, we would not be so ****." One of the elderly added with the wave of her finger. "But you are asking about a man who willingly hunted us down with his father. Surely, you understand the position you are placing us in."

Near the central campgrounds where the meeting took place just outside of the elves recovery tent, Nyitzcha stood leaning back beside a large tree with her arms folded and her head down. From the corner of her eye, she looked from one face to another, entertaining their voices as a way to pass the time. She shrugged her shoulders, chewing on a blade of grass and keeping to herself. Perched above a branch on the same tree where Nyitzcha leaned on was Ori'chi, swinging upside down with her legs keeping her on the branch with her facing the opposite direction of the meeting, looking directly at a particular tent.

Ori'chi froze when she noticed Emyri and her two daughters exiting that tent, gasping when she noticed their teary faces and smiles. Lifting herself back up, she hopped from one branch to the other while shifting into her feline form, sneaking above their heads before carefully climbing back to the ground. There, she turned her gray furry little head left and right before slipping between the tent folds inside. Nyitzcha stood up once the three girls came into view, approaching the meeting. At a passing glance, she raised her eyebrow and Dimyri caught on and nodded with a smile. With a look of shock, Nyitzcha made way into the tent they came out of.

Once she entered inside, she was greeted with Felix sitting up in his little makeshift bed petting a small gray cat with KuliKuli leaning at his side. The cat was busy purring and rolling on her back while Felix laughed and continued scratching her fur and ears. It was a cute sight, but Nyitzcha felt like she was being ignored. She cleared her throat in a hoarse voice, bringing their attention to her.

"Nyitzcha!" Felix smiled, blinking momentarily before leaning back with KuliKuli's help.

Nyitzcha huffed and made her way to him, grabbing a barrel and rolling it to them before sitting atop to be at eye level. She folded her arms looking rather upset, saying nothing while Felix looked back to her. His smile faded and he began to look puzzled and worried, wondering if he upset her somehow. In a second, she changed face and smiled as Felix began to smile back in relief.

"Welcome back hun, we thought we lost ye. Took a gud nap 'n us ye sure did." Nyitzcha hit his arm playfully.

Felix yelped and grabbed his arm, feeling a boiling hot pain burning into his nerves. Ori'chi lept out from his lap in a panic, and KuliKuli quickly reached out and carefully placed some soothing cream onto his arm.

Nyitzcha remained in a frozen state with a drop of sweat on her forehead. "Ay... sorry, lad."

"S'Fine, it's fine." Felix grumbled through clenched teeth, rubbing his arm before leaning back and taking a deep breath. "Everything hurts when I apply **** to it. I feel like I'm made of paper skin and glass bone."

"You're not off. Excuse me." Zimi approached the group, brushing past KuliKuli and standing by his side. She gently placed her paw on his chest, daring to rub around some of the darker purple stains on his body while glancing back and forth between his body and his facial reactions. Every few seconds he would wince and squeeze his eyes shut, and she would pause out of caution. "Hmm, subject is... ahem. Felix, I don't think I need to be soft in wording here do I?"

He glanced over to KuliKuli before looking back at her and nodding.

"Good. Felix, your body is suffering from a most severe state of fatigue and internal bruising, you're going to need several weeks of bed rest followed by a few months of physical therapy. Do you remember how to get back home?"

Felix paused before forming a funny look on his face. "Home? I... ummm."

KuliKuli leaned in, her ears in full alert as she noticed the frustration growing on his face. "Felix?"

"I'm sorry, I can't remember how to get home." He answered nervously, much to their shock.

KuliKuli gasped, which took Felix by surprise. "Oh it's not that, we had the book take us here and I didn't notice how to go back. I'm sure Janette can guide us home if she still has Vardare with her."

KuliKuli breathed a sigh of relief as the little gray cat hopped back into his lap before curling up and resting her eyes. "I was thinking the worst."

"I didn't mean to, sorry. Ow!" Turning his head, he was greeted with an impatient dwarf tapping her foot on the ground. Looking back, he saw KuliKuli giving her a questioning stare before putting the pieces together. "Have you two... been talking?"

Nyitzcha raised her hand, shining light into the ring they both wore on their finger. "Was hopin' ye would do de honors."

"I recognize her from the market but she wouldn't tell me why she helped. I'm very grateful, but she insisted that you would answer for her when I asked. And also..." KuliKuli traced her paw down his arm before rubbing the matching silver ring around his finger. "What does... why are you wearing that, Felix?"

Nyitzcha snickered as Felix began to feel nervous, fumbling under his words. "Ehh, p'raps is best to say t'her now husband."

"Husband? What's a husband? Auntie, what's a husband?" KuliKuli turned around, asking for a response. Zimi silently spun around and walked away.

"We needed her help with her supplies and skills to get you back, but we didn't have anything to trade or bargain with. No possessions except for few." Felix explained, tracing a circle along the fur of her paw with his thumb. He began to struggle for words, wondering how to best explain it to her.

"He asked for a favor an' I delivered!" Nyitzcha chimed in with a boom in her voice and her head held high.

"Oh! That's very generous of you! Even though you hardly knew me, you took the time to help my mate rescue me, and I will never forget that. What's your name again?"

Nyitzcha huffed. "Is Nyitzcha, ye say it like Neez-cha!"

KuliKuli smiled and bowed her head in a polite gesture. "Thank you for helping save our lives Nyitzcha. I'll never forget that, and I'd like to get to know you better. Maybe even be good friends, best of friends!"

"Ehh I dun-" Nyitzcha waved her hand in dismissal when suddenly she was pounced on and lifted up in a warm embrace, her tiny legs hovering in tbe air as KuliKuli hugged her tight and spun her around.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She beamed.

"OI! Let me go!" Nyitzcha shouted, wiggling left and right until KuliKuli slowed to a halt and let her go. She angrily stomped her foot down. "Personal space, ye hear! None o' dat now. An'yer welcome. I need me a drink."

KuliKuli giggled, watching Nyitzcha grumble to herself as she marched her way out the exit before stopping one last time. "Oh and Felix, is nice t'see ye in one piece."

Felix smiled. "Thank you, Nyitzcha."

She nodded and exited the tent, leaving the two alone plus a sleeping cat on his lap.

Nyitzcha walked past where the meeting was being held, slipping into her own tent as Alma cleared her throat and raised her voice. "So then, that concludes the voting then."

Turning her head, she looked to Dimyri who stood by her and with a look of disappointment she whispered, "I'm sorry, they've spoken."

"I understand." Dimyri nodded in agreement, that was that. Clearing ber throat, she stepped forward and raised her paws up. "It's been two weeks since the tower has fallen. We are still yet to find any of his followers."

"Many witnesses saw them running out of the tower when the light show began." Spi'Reto mentioned to them, looking at Dimyri. "You may want to ask him about that. I'm sorry D, but a lot of us don't trust him. It's too much to turn a blind eye to. For all we know, they could be plotting a counterattack."

Dimyri nodded, hugging herself. "It was worth a try."

Alma nodded back. "How's your mother and father doing?"

"He seems preoccupied with something in his mind, Mom was checking on him and Felix but the good news is Felix is awake now."

"Hm, no complications?" She asked.

"Don't know. He's tired but Auntie says he should be fine. Nothing broken."

"Not even his mind." Alma added, her hand brushing her own wound. "Durable little man. That's good, he makes for a good protector."

"He just needs to learn how to fight properly." Spi'Reto mentioned with a smile. "Maybe I can give him some lessons?"

"You're yet to complete your own lessons, young man." Alma scolded him, her son and Dimyri laughing together in response. "As soon as we are properly recovered, be ready."

Spi'Reto shook his head, smiling. "By the way, where is your younger sister?"

"Syri is with her own beloved." Dimyri said, looking out toward all the people of the village busying themselves by packing up their tents and belongings. "Lost time maybe? Where will we be moving? Our home was scorched, and your home was pillaged, both from the same source. We have no home now."

Alma took a deep breath, her hand running along her hair. "Home is wherever we decide, as long as we are together. Personally, I myself have grown tired of sleeping among vines and moss. And the tower js destroyed, meaning we have nothing to defend anymore. Perhaps... perhaps this is an opportunity to begin anew. Start over, make new lives and create a better future for everyone. Well, mostly everyone. Not many are accepting of Monster Girls after all."

"Maybe I can change that." Dimyri mentioned in a soft voice. Both elves glanced at her with a curious look. "I was thinking... we've been running for so long now but it's made me realize how small we really are. There's so much more out there to see and explore, and we know what happens when people attack Monster Girls. What if I can help change that? What if I can represent that change and show the others that we aren't really monsters after all?"

"So you can control it? For how long?" Alma asked directly.

Dimyri paused and looked down at her paw. "I don't know how long it can last-"

"Test it. Press it further, try to make it last longer every time. See if you can tame it, and then we can talk about your idea."

"So you like it then?" She smiled with a glimmer in her eyes.

Alma adjusted her posture. "It's interesting, but you need to let you mother know first. Then we can give it some thought... it's interesting I suppose. But we'll talk later, speak to Emyri first understand?"

Dimyri nodded. Spi'Reto leaned back into his bed and Alma continued looking over her people as they continued cleaning up and adjusting their belongings. Dimyri's ears flickered as an idea came to her head.

"Hey Auntie?"

"Hm?"

"You said we don't have a home, but I can think of a place we can go to. What do you say about a valley with a cottage and a large farm just over the hills?"

Reta brushed some vines away from her as she moved forward, being careful of her step. Climbing over a large growth stretching across her path, she looked up and noticed a pair of footprints stained in the mud moving to her right. Curiosity got the best of her, in her boredom she figured there would be no harm in a brief investigation to pass the time.

It had been two weeks since she volunteered along with a group of scouts to search around the jungle in an attempt to find any more survivors. It was a group vote and several volunteered but only those who were deemed fit enough to make the trip were allowed. Reta was fit in her werewolf form, but unfortunately she had returned to her human form several days prior. In truth, she was not permitted to continue searching but she did it anyway. Yes, there is a chance of encountering any danger but Reta remained dismissive of that idea. The biggest threat had already been dealt with, she figured, and she abhored feeling caged or chained into one place for too long.

She paused when she noticed the footsteps leading into the open mouth of a cave. Feeling a cold chill tingling along her back, she swallowed and reluctantly followed, stepping foot inside. She squinted and stretched her hand out, running it along the damp, wet wall of the cave to guide her movement. The air became moist, the weather shifted to a cooler environment and she made an attempt to step lightly once her shoes began to echo. There was a nice, blue light reflecting from the far end of the rocky tunnel, she quickly realized there was a curving turn where the cave moved left. Following along, she found herself facing a teal green pool of water where a strange moss kept underneath at the bottom would emit a soft glow, lighting up the depth of the cave. It was not a wide space, in fact the cave overall felt quite claustrophobic to her with barely enough room for two to enter standing side by side.

It was the figure sitting at the edge with his back to her which she kept her eyes on, surely this was whom the footsteps belonged to. He seemed familiar to her, she immediately recognized his silhouette but couldn't remember his name at first glance. Stepping in, she walked towards him and removed her feet, sat beside him and dipped her legs into the pool. He made no reaction or gesture to her presence, keeping hunched over and staring at the reflection on the surface.

She leaned in to stare at their reflection as well.

"I see you. I know those eyes, that look of defeat and regret. I couldn't tell you that things will get better, they won't."

Raz didn't answer, his eyes fixated into his own image as she brushed her hair to the side and continued.

"I'm not going to be here and talk to you like we are good friends, we're not. You did a bad thing, looking for attention from a bad person who took advantage of that. I've been there and I've done that. I've lost a lot of people too, and like you I too am left without a home. Baka, that is what I would tell myself everyday. Baka baka baka. It became my name, my meaning, my reflection."

"What does it mean?"

Reta paused, somewhat surprised that he finally spoke. She glanced, but he didn't look back. He never wavered, never budged, he held still like a statue forever trapped in one posture. If it weren't for the movement of his chest, she would wonder if he was alive. Looking back into the water, she continued as she looked into her own reflection.

"Baka has many different meanings depending on the context. It can be an insult or a swear word, could be for teasing or for shaming. It has many meanings but never stays true to just one."

"What did you do to move on?" He asked.

"I started walking. I decided not to end it and to continue living and walking forward. And I've made a few mistakes here and there, and some regrets certainly. A lot of regrets, actually. I'm not perfect, but no one is. I mean look at you, you are set for a lot of pain and reflection."

Raz raised his hands, hovering them above the surface of the puddle as the water began to form gentle little ripples despite his focus.

"You can't make it work, can you?"

He closed his eyes and nodded.

"Did you ever practice that stuff?"

"I've tried before, I was meant to be assigned a trainer to help me harness my ability to near perfection. Before father set the place ablaze that is."

Reta paused momentarily. "He set the place on fire?"

"All of it. The house, the villages, the kingdom. Burn it down, start over. Let a new city rise from the ashes like the tales of Galilelu."

"Your father was really fucked up."

"I realize that, yes."

"You know, you're not as fucked up as your dad is. You took a part in a possible genocide of an entire species though, that's hard to come back from."

"Dimyri convinced the elf to have the tribe vote to accept me as one of their own. It won't work."

"I wouldn't expect it to work, she's being naive on that. Understandable though, you did save her life. Are you having a little cat girl crush, is that it?" Reta teased, slapping his arm. "Thinking about having a clutter of your own, a couple of cat girl babies to raise, eh?"

"I like her, she takes care of her clutter. She loves them."

"Well yea, she's the big sister. It's her job to look after them, they're fam-" Reta noticed the troubled look on his face, like something had stabbed his insides just then. "Oh. Baka."

"I do not know what will happen."

Reta looked down at their reflection for a long time, leaving a long pause between them. Until at last, she pulled her feet out of the water, disrupting the image as she put her shoes on.

"No, none of us do. Nothing we can do about worrying for tomorrow. Nothing we can do to change yesterday, but what we can do is live today to make a better tomorrow. If that makes sense, I don't know. I think I'm just talking out of my butt, I'm not good with sentimental stuff."

Raz looked up as she held out her hand for him. He grabbed on, she pulled him up to her feet and brushed his shoulders. "C'mon, let's go back. This place is all wet and damp and muddy, I would rather go back where it's warm and dry with not many mosquitoes and moss."

"We're leaving?" He asked.

Reta turned back and pulled his hand. "Of course, better to move on then to stay here."