Together

Janette stood still, inhaling the fresh wood air when Nyitzcha bumped into her leg. Janette did not consider herself a woman of great height, but with this dwarf managing to reach up to her waist she certainly felt taller around her. Nyitzcha pointed further up ahead to where Felix had found a smooth stone to sit on. There he was, leaning back and staring past the Nekomata's who either continued their daily activities or simply sat up to stare at him while talking to each other. He didn't seem to care much, or rather his expression remained stoic and serious.

"He seen better dayz. Look like he fancy a drink right about now."

Janette sighed, glancing around briefly. "It's too early for drinks... but I think we could all use a drink right now. Fuck it, do you have any in your bag?"

The young dwarf shook her head, digging into her belt pouch and waving a silver flask in her hand. Janette gave it a wiggle, feeling for the volume of liquid stored within. Feeling content, she popped it open and pressed the metal to her lips, tilting her head far back as the liquid began to pour.

Her eyes shot open and she quickly dipped back down, pulling away as she began to cough roughly. She gripped her throat, rubbing it gently hoping it would soothe the awful sensation she was suffering from. Her face turned red as she began hack and clear her throat, feeling embarrassed from so many cat eyes on her. Nyitzcha cupped her mouth, snickering while retrieving her flask from the market owner.

"Hit jus' de right spot, eh?"

Janette turned away to spit, wiping her lips. "Bleugh! My throat is burning, what the heck was that?!"

"Is'a ol' family recipe, keeps ye focused and ready fer hours!"

Janette burped before making a face. "Smells like gunpowder."

"Oh ye, is good fer cannons and de like! Versatile stuff, no?" Nyitzcha beamed, taking a gulp of her family concoction before stuffing the flask away. "Aaah, always a fine way ta stay awake."

"I take it back, I think Felix is better without the drink. I think I'll just talk to him." She said as she began walking to his direction.

"Ye sure?"

"Positive." She shouted back, still feeling an awful aftertaste on her tongue. "Hey."

Felix slouched forward, his eyes glancing at her before staring forward again. "Hey."

"That was a nice argument you made there. I think it left her with something to think about. How are you dealing?"

Felix shrugged. "Been better."

"Well duh." She scoffed, sitting beside him before catching herself. "Sorry. What makes you think she'll help out? That's what you want, right?"

"We need all the help we can get, like you said. I can't save her alone." He sighed, hugging himself. "I'm scared I can't save her anymore. What was I thinking, letting her go? I should have fought harder to make her stay, convince her of an alternative."

"I've been telling myself that the second she walked away."

"Na'Vi was right, I should have done more to help her. She needed to learn how to handle herself, how to fight-"

"Hey now when I first met Na'Vi KuliKuli certainly proved she can fight."

"She lost that fight though." He remined her.

"Yea but still, what about when they worked together against the Hunter? They won that time, no?" Felix shrugged, hanging his head when Janette reached over to tussle his moppy brown hair.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Fel, you did pretty well taking her in. Whatever happens now, well.... we do it together. Right?" She held his hand, giving it a firm squeeze. Felix raised his head, his brown eyes staring into hers. Here was a stranger before, a friend they made thanks to her, doing her best to comfort him. Even if she was saying things he wanted to hear, it helped a tiny bit. Through physical touch, he could feel her heart racing enough to compete with his own. One knowing look and he nodded back, squeezing her hand in return.

"We do it together, no matter what."

---

KuliKuli felt her paws drag along the smooth surface, feeling a pair of gloved hands on her arms to render her from attacking. Leading the way was the man who haunted her dreams, stepping lightly in his black robe with a rather large book in his arm. This floor was new to her, the torches kept the spooky atmosphere as was kept along the underground depths of this place, and the walls and floor kept a rather dark bluish hue to human eyes. Darkness was non-existent to a Nekomata, allowing her to see further ahead down the hall to see a rather large room with what appeared to be... pedestals or tombs perhaps?

She mewed, looking rather puzzled when they arrived. This room had to be the largest in this fortress, its age could be seen from the fractured rocky exterior surfaces of both wall and floor. One of these pedestals had eroded and crumbled into a pile of rock, and among the surface of this place where these platforms lay scattered around was a rather odd looking instrument, something hard for her to describe due to its strange appearance.

"What is this?" She asked, noting the numerous Glitterbugs stuck along several pillars surrounding the area. It seems they have made quite a hive in these depths, doing their work and illuminating this place for them. The cold breeze tickling her fur made her look up, realizing the lack of roof in this place as the stars were mistaken to be glitterbugs upon first glance.

"This is where the ritual will bare fruit. This is where you belong." Perdilius explained, his hand brushing along the carpeted fabric along one of these pedestals. Tilting her head, KuliKuli felt her vision flash as suddenly she remembered being forced to lay on this stone bed, her paws cuffed down and a collar fitted around her neck. Her voice was hoarse from screaming so hard, crying and pleading for help. For a moment she felt her life picked apart as a voice began to recite an enchantment of some sort.

"Success!" The voice beamed as Nityri felt herself begin to faint. That voice had belonged to Perdilius, this was where she once was before.

"You remember now, I can see it in your eyes. Get comfortable, cat, soon your siblings will be joining us."

KuliKuli glared at him, her paws aching for a fight. "You really think so highly of one guy, when a group of these tinheads couldn't catch us before?"

"Raz will accomplish his task, that is his promise."

"A lot of effort to please a religious narcissist." She scowled.

Perdilius made eye contact before erupting into a sudden laugh, loud in volume and nearly folding over in amusement as he held his chest. It sent her chills seeing him so serious before and suddenly look so jolly, it looked forced in her eyes.

"Raz knows what he is doing, he's done this before and achieved success."

"How so?" She called out. "He was an easy catch before."

"He wasn't prepared before, he is now."

"You sound confident." She mocked, ignoring the rough tug she would receive from the soldiers gripping her paws.

"I am, thanks to him we were able to catch you."

"What?" He grinned, turning his focus to her with delight in his eyes.

"You didn't think we sent a Hunter after you from the start, did you? That was after I had confirmed my suspicions. No, Raz volunteered. He's the one responsible for catching you, and he will do the same to the others. Anything to please his father."

---

Raz glared at the arsenals laid over the table, the maid securing his leather chest armor tight.

"You're certain this will hold? It doesn't feel durable enough to fight off claws or daggers."

"It isn't, it's meant for flexibility and easy movement." He replied, reaching for an enormous cylindrical gourd and adjusting the leather strap attached to it.

"Such an odd items, Master Raz. Are you certain it would suffice?"

"It should, it's never let me down before." He flipped the gourd and fastened it over his back. His hands glossed over the metal case opened on the table, its contents being a blue colored powder substance, and proceeded to grab it by the handful and fill in several smaller pouches before tightening the knot over it and hooking them into his belt. "My aim is not to kill but to retrieve."

"He sent you to go alone?"

"I requested to go alone." He answered, retrieving a blade and observing it before deciding to place it back. "It had been fifteen minutes since the girls have escaped. If I do not return by morning, inform him for me."

"He's sure to be worried, sending his son alone to do a Hunter's work. Not meaning to offend, Master Raz."

Raz took a deep breath, now fully equipped as he headed to the door.

"He won't be worried, he never is."