Fairy Tails

The Nekomata's were speaking up towards each other, asking them and their spouses many things. It troubled the elder elf, as evident from her quick glances as she had the group follow her into her rather large tent strung between several large trees as support. Many cat eyes were observing Felix in particular, something which he found difficult not to notice as they made no attempt to hide their focus. He looked back at Janette, hoping his plea for help had not been a naive attempt for ridicule.

From beyond them, a larger than life Grizzly slid her body over the grass and roots, her chin pressed over tiny flowers as she struggled to push herself closer and further. Several cats were in her path, scooting or meowing away, some even jumped as the Monster Girl in her Bear form pushed our air from her snout to alert them to move. One small kitten lept onto the Bear's hind, enjoying the ride before being abruptly scooped by her father, waving his finger at her as she wiggled in contempt.

Alma turned around as Spi'Reto politely held the tent flap for the others to walk in before entering last. She stood in his way, shaking her head no much to his annoyance.

"Why not?" He sighed, turning his head in disappointment. The way his shoulders dropped and his smile had gone, Janette took notice of this.

"Sorry." She calmly answered. He waved his head, stepping back and giving some thought.

"I can stay quiet, would that help? C'mon, just this once."

"When you're ready, not today. Keep watch." He nodded, resigning to his deisgnated station as he walked back out. The interior of her tent was rather messy with several loose scrolls rolled up and left to be stacked up on a reading desk. No beds, just a scratched up cloth sprawled out to the side with plenty of wrinkling. Some fruit skins gathered into a pale bucket, with juice drip stains on the tin surface. Above that, a small canvas with an incomplete painting which included what looked like a dark setting with wavy lines dropping down and a bright pink image in the center, the shading of this was quite detailed to a commendable degree.

Nyitzcha lightly tapped the bucket with her toe. "Not bad, is a tad clean'r den most elf folk."

"No touching." Alma hissed, stepping toward the center of the area. Felix and Janette stepped to one side, wondering what comes next. Unbeknownst to them, a small bear snout poked into view from behind Felix's foot, sniffing and licking its lips.

"Okay, so spill." Janette began, "What's with this NiNi business?"

"Not so loud." She turned, placing her quiver of arrows against the wooden desk leg. "NiNi is the nickname we have for Nityri."

"Figured." Janette interrupted, her hand resting on her hip.

"She's quite well known among her clutter, and for good reason." Alma continued. "That family is a rare phenomenon, one might say."

"Rare, how so?" Felix asked, she was certainly special to him but to others, why is that? "Is it because of Emyri? She's the Mother of the other cats, or something of that sort."

"Head Mother," Alma corrected him. "It's the title of the one to look over the others, a Mother which tends to all of her kittens. Emyri is Head Mother, but that is not all that makes her daughters so special. It is their genetics."

Janette waited patiently, shrugging her shoulders. "What?"

"Do you know why Monster Girls are hunted, Felix?"

That was the first he heard her speak his name. "I think, I learned when I was younger that Monster Girls select their prey and don't take rejection kindly."

"No girl does. Monster Girls are said to originate from dark essence, a corrupting magic which thrives on all things."

"We're all born from magic, though. People forget that." Janette mentioned.

"Ay, but folk don't question for details. They only interested 'n was good or bad." Nyitzcha added, fiddling with a dry paint brush. "What 'r we all, eh? Humans, Elves, Dwarves, we ain't no dark magic."

"That's why they call it a demon gene." Janette looked at Felix as she began to understand. "So then... they corrupt us?"

"Yes, its how you begin to share traits to your partner, particularly to the appropriate subspecies that is." Alma stepped around Felix, pointing as his features. "Tell me, what changes have you noticed on your being since you mated with her?"

Felix felt himself turn red, looking at her in the eyes. "Mated, you can tell?"

"They all can, Monster Girls like to leave their scent on their selected mate as a show of ownership and claim. None of us can smell it, but to any dark magic beings you probably reek of her stench. Your eyes are dead giveaways, no human eyes are concentrated and dilated to that extent." She pointed out, with Janette and Nyitzcha peeking in.

"Ay, ah figure them for cat eyes."

"Keep them closed or covered, you belong to her now. Your corruption has taken shape, those legs and arms appear fit and strong. Flex your hands, notice your grip strength, pay attention to your stamina. Your agility and flexibility, your ability to climb, it all adapts and conforms to how your mate is."

"But no tails! Right?" Janette asked, lowering her voice at the end.

Alma gave her a look as Nyitzcha snickered on the side. "Right. No cat ears, no tails, no mutations to that extent. Just physical enhancements for this case."

"Depends on yer lady." Nyitzcha added.

"Right. Now going back to Nityri or NiNi, why is she special?" Felix asked.

"Well, who her father is. Her father is of a pure magical essence, her mother of a dark essence."

"So the dad is corrupted?" He asked.

"Not quite, the exception to corruption is toward strong opposites. Opposite don't attract, they push away. Pure essence does not mix with corrupt dark essence, normally."

"Wait, so her dad's an angel?" Janette asked.

"Ha! Angels, as if they were pure." The dwarf muttered.

Alma shook her head. "Don't need to be an angel to be pure, just need to undergo a ritual for cleansing."

"Or hunting." Felix's eyes opened, looking at Janette as he began to realize what this meant. "Her dad's a Hunter!?"

"Yes, a Monster and her Hunter."

"A Monster and a Hunter." Nyitzcha repeated with a whistle. "Ay thought ay heard my share of fairy tales."

From outside the camp, Nukka felt something poke at her head as her round ears wiggled in reciprocation. Pulling back, the Grizzly Bear turned her head to stare at the young elf standing next to her, leaning on his bow while she blinked her tiny little black eyes.

"Hey there, trying to snoop?" Spi'Reto smiled.

Nukka howled in a low tone, flexing her jaw and retracting her snout as it began to take form of a human nose and lips. Back in her Monster Girl form, she wagged her ears with a cute grin. "We heard them say NiNi, so Nukka was curious to know."

"Well, you know what they say curiosity did to the cat." Spi'Reto chuckled to himself until she sat up.

"No, what?"

"That curiosity k-... err, that curiosity... bored the cat." He may not have thought that one through.

Nukka looked around briefly before shushing him. "Shhh, keep quiet. Nukka was told to keep watch, can you help her hide? The strangers are getting to the good part, listen!"

She sat back down, pressing her ear into the tents fabric. Looking around, Spi'Reto shrugged before making himself comfortable and leaning onto the Grizzly before he began to listen in too.