Irony

"Hai!" Dimyri smirked and began to lick her paw, rubbing it on her hair as Felix walked over and helped Emyri lift both Na'Vi and KuliKuli onto the wagon. Janette tilted her head as she held both kitties in her hands with Felix helping Reta push the wagon out of the rubble.

"Any damages on the cart?"

Reta shook her head, grunting loudly as they succeeded pushing their wagon off. "Scratches, maybe a blunt wheel but the horses are good."

"Alright, can you take us home?"

"If someone tells me where home is, watashi wa ganbarimasu."

"Uhh-okay then." He shook it off and whistled behind him, "Dimyri, hurry up!"

"EEP!" She yelped and quickly pounced atop the wagon with Felix careful stepping over the soldier's knocked out body. Emyri reached over to get in but missed her step, falling back with a yelp. She gasped and turned around catching Felix with his hands on her ass to keep her from falling. She blushed and flashed a brief wink, bouncing lightly before boosting herself over into the wagon with Felix nervously following.

Janette winced and spun around, leaning over to Reta as she grabbed the reins. "Okay, follow the road for now. I'll tell you when to turn."

Dimyri screeched from behind as she leaned over her sister. "Syri? Oh my gosh!" Emyri was quick to hold her daughter tight to comfort her and calm her down, however Felix noticed she was speechless as well. He moved over to sit beside her and offered his hand, with Emyri looking at him and nodding before placing her paw on his palm. As she turned her head over it was her turn to gasp, alarming the others and getting them to notice that they had another injury.

"Janette, you feeling alright?" Felix asked with a nervous stutter in his voice.

"Been better, I lost my damn shoe but things went okay for what it was. We just need to hurry back home for Syri, welcome back Dimyri."

Dimyri nodded, staring wide-eyed at her ass. "Yea, hai. Uhhh..." She couldn't form any words so she reached over and flicked the arrow stuck to the hyu-mane's butt cheek drawing a sharp flinch from Janette.

Emyri frowned and slapped her younger's paw. Janette groaned and hung her head, still leaning over to the front with her hair dropping down to hide her face. "Right, like I would forget . Damn thing feels like something bit me."

"Maybe we should check to see if you're bleeding?" Felix asked as he leaned in to reach for her dress. She slapped his hand away quickly.

"Nobody touches my ass until we're back home! My ass is not important, we need to be out of here fast and I need to help Syri fast. Make a left turn, Reta." Reta nods and does so, with Felix leaning back with a tiring sigh. He looked to his right and saw numerous people walking around the road from market to market as the sound of wooden wheels and horse hooves echoed around them. It looked like at the end of what just happened, nothing changed.

Emyri wrapped her tail around his waist. "What's on your mind, you look focused on something?"

"All of those people just walking around like nothing happened."

Emyri glanced over and saw several kids playing before looking up at her with wide eyes. As they continued moving forward she began to see a larger number of merchants and travelers minding their own business and trades.

"I don't know sweety, isn't that just how people are? It's probably better that way, we all have our own little worlds to live in, our own struggles to fight. I say let them carry on to their normalcy."

Felix found himself nodding and looking at Syri with Na'Vi and KuliKuli to each side of her. Dimyri found herself sniffling before her eyes began to swell. Janette and Reta turned around with Emyri hugged her daughter and patting her back.

"I -sniff- thought -sniff- I was gone!" Dimyri managed to say between sudden hiccups, her uncontrolled breathing making speech difficult for her. Felix leaned in and watched her mother comfort her and hug her tight. kissing her cheek and brushing away her tears.

"I'm sorry we took a while, deary. It wasn't easy-"

"No -hic- it wasn't. And now my family is hurt." Her voice shifted into a low whimper. Emyri continued whispering comforting words to her as Janette found herself smiling and turning to face Reta. Reta shrugged and faced the front as she navigated around the people walking around, the sun up high in the sky shining down to remined them that it was still in the morning, reaching around early noon. The wind added a gentle breeze to them, with Janette breathing in the cool air and giving Reta the final bit of directions before turning around. Felix was on the ground level of the wagon checking on the girls resting on the floor. He patted his pockets and looked up to be reminded of the Nekomata's lack of clothing, preventing him from asking. With a focused look, he gripped his sleeve and tugged hard until hearing it tear away, extending it before wrapping it around Syri's head as gently as he could.

Seeing that made Janette feel warm inside with Emyri taking notice of his action too. She blushed inside and continued holding her daughter at her side, feeling proud of her Nityri, his KuliKuli, for having selected a good mate. She breathed in deep and sighed, closing her eyes as the wagon exited the Kershin Market and continued moving down the familiar road back home.

The soldiers struggled to pull the carriage over, successfully returning it to fall back onto its three wheels. Raz held out a handkerchief for Perdilius to wipe away the blood from his cut as they silently spectated his men cleaning up the wreckage. Several of his men approached the side door with one stepping inside and passing back several large cases for the other men to retrieve. Each one was opened up and inspected before coming back to pass him the message. "Light damage from the skirmish but otherwise in proper functionable condition, sir."

"Good." He looked over his shoulder to catch one of his men holding another small cage, noticeably shivering as the cage rattled and shook around. "Tell your men to keep a strong grip and a strong back, or replace them with soldiers I can trust. Preferably soldiers lacking a heart of jelly."

"Of course sir." He spun around and shouted at his men to handle the two cages with care. "Be sure to inspect them as well men! The higher one commands honest faith and honest courage, and you will give that to him."

Raz tapped his bosses shoulder grabbing his attention as a familiar face arrived on his horse. "Aah, the hunter. I wondered where the attack was placed, I take it your appearance is reflective of an ambush?"

Leone leaned in and dropped from his horse, ignoring his comment. "Was wondering if they had succeeded in their ambush."

"Yet here we are." Perdilius' smile faded away as the hunter stood in front of him. "How many?"

Leone raised his eye.

"How many Nekomata's where there under your hold?"

"Just one."

"Just one. You mentioned in your note that you could only find one, so where did the others come from? They couldn't have been hiding from an expert tracker like yourself, could they?" He passed the bloodied handkerchief back to Raz and cleared his throat. "I demand fine results."

"You had results. Do not forget the others I retrieved for you."

"Ah yes, the cats that you had my men and I follow. If I recall however, that stemmed from my idea when yours was proving inadequate. I am growing doubtful of your skills, Leone."

"I was contracted for a job, and I have done just that."

"Not yet you haven't, you missed a select few. Now look at you, bruised with a wounded body and pride and my carriage destroyed. Had I not prepped enough horses, if my equipment were damaged to irreparable means then this would be far from a negotiation, wouldn't it?"

"Father?" Raz intervened, "The men are requesting for new orders. Given the damages will we be going for a retreat?"

Perdilius breathed in deep. "We do the work of the gods. Faith fuels us, lights our way to a righteous day, and so it shall guide us through the dark as it always has. How are the girls?"

"Stable, unharmed."

"Good, release the caretaker."

Raz was taken back a step. "Sir?"

"Do it, and bring me the woman's shoe." He ordered through a serious face. Raz ran off to give the order leaving him alone with the hunter once more. "I must admit, I did not expect such creatures to be prepared for a line of attack, much less an efficient one. You of all people should understand my surprise, seeing these animals roam our world and talk and think like we do. No matter, I mistook them for cowards. That was my error, but the gods look over us, bestow us with their holy presence and reward our faith in desperate times." He grinned as he stepped to the side and retrieved a shoe from Raz, with Leone following beside him. "Now look as our faith is rightfully rewarded."

One of the soldiers sat one of the small cages down and opened the lock, raising the cage door open whilst standing behind it. The other soldiers stood close to Perdilius with their hands at their swords until he waved his hand at them to stop. With a hint of pride in his eyes, he clapped his hands twice in a monotonous tone. Leone watched with widened eyes as a small cat poked its head out with a low growl.

Slowly approaching the high priest, the cat began to change shape and grow with everyone watching in disbelief. The Nekomata remained on all fours, its feline body replaced by that of a beautiful young woman with paws on her limbs and twin tails and feline ears, a soft glow of crimson from her darkish eyes. Her master extended his hand as she pulled back, sniffing at the shoe and letting out a low hiss, baring her sharp teeth.

"Good, good girl. See this hunter, the creature has their scent. Let the others go." He ordered before turning to face Leone. "How did the people of old capture their more agile prey, hunter? They used animals to hunt them down." He beamed as the other two cages were opened behind him.