Sulking in bitter contrition, Kari hung her head low as she slowly walked down the caverns leading to one of the few people who made her feel better when she felt down. However… in this instance, it might have been better to choose anyone else. Lifting a small ball of string in her hands, the sandy blonde whimpered before lowering her gaze remorsefully.

‘I’m so sorry…’ She didn’t mean to get that lady killed. She came to the humans for help, but it was like Najia had told her. Humans wouldn’t help… their kind. But that didn’t mean she wanted to get her killed! She seemed kind… at first. She didn’t deserve to be eaten!

‘M-Maybe it’s not too late?’ Could Nya still be playing with her? Feeling her stomach churn, the witch tossed that idea out the window. Neko’s were hunters plain and simple. If you put something smaller than them in their field of vision, they’d attack. It was as simple as that. So if Ebon really tossed her to the cat girl… then she was as good as dead.

Sighing sadly, she nodded once more before turning left and right through the twisting tunnels that made up their cave. Palming the small ball of twine in her hands, the younger girl paused as she came to the entrance of her friend’s area before taking a deep breath. She couldn’t feel resentment for her… It was in her nature after all that made her eat the human… or worse.

If there was anyone she could direct her anger towards, it should be their *leader*. Stepping into the dimly lit room, Kari’s eyes roamed over the fluorescent fungal she had grown for the girl before smiling. “Nya! Hey Nya, it’s me… d-do you want to play?” Looking around quietly, Kari waited for a few minutes before frowning.

‘That’s weird… usually, she’s really eager to see me.’ Was she not here? Stepping deeper into the cave, the little witch began looking around as she peered into each of the cubby holes the Neko had made herself since coming into their care. After a few tries, however, she did find her… but, something was off.

Peeking into one of the deeper crevices, Kari furrowed her brow as she saw Nya lying down as she purred loudly, her voice echoing in her dainty chambers. But… the noises she was making weren’t the only ones…

‘I-I-Is… is that, screaming…?’ She could hear something faint coming from between her hands. Raising her hand, the little witch gave her wrist a flick before her amber eyes began to glow a magenta hue. In an instant, the darkness encroaching all around her was cast aside causing the cave to become clearly lit to her eyes…

What she saw, however, was the last thing she expected to see. Gawking, Kari took a step back in surprise before cupping her mouth. In her friend's hand… was the shrunken girl that Ebon had taken from her. She was alive…

Whimpering loudly, Abby was spread eagle in the cat girl’s hands as she continued to greedily lick between her legs. Convulsing with each lick she was being given, the diminutive girl cried harder. Taking a step forward, and then another, Kari made her way over Nya as she continued to cup her mouth.

“Y-Y-You’re alive…?” Looking up slowly as the darkness concealed whoever it was speaking above her, Abby raised her tear stained eyes up as she saw the familiar outline of the witch who had brought her here. Lifting her shaky hand upwards, the teenager tried to speak, but nothing came out. Even so, the blonde knew what she had mouthed. It was very clear to her, both in voice and in her eyes.

‘Help… h-help!’ Panicking, the younger girl nodded her head before reaching for Abby… however, she didn’t get very far. Noticing the unexpected arrival, Nya looked up before her eyes widened as she saw where her friend was reaching.

NYAAA!” Crying out in surprise, Kari stumbled backward's as she heard the howl the Neko had directed at her. Gulping, the little witch looked at her friend in shock before standing up slowly. “N-N-Nya, I-it’s me! W-Why did you hiss at me?!” Growling in a low, guttural tone, the brunette glared at the witch before directing her eyes back down at Abby happily.

“Nya…” Licking the smaller girl once again, the cat girl went back to what she was doing before causing the witch to question her actions. At first… it looked like she was trying to eat her. But now, it didn’t seem like that was the case. The Neko grew hostile when she came closer to her. Not to mention she wasn’t actually biting the shrunken girl… only…

Palming her fist, Kari nodded as the pieces fell into place. “N-Nya, I’m not going to hurt your… friend.” Pausing, the cat girl looked up at Kari in silence as her tail swished back and forth defensively. “Nya, nyaa…” Shaking her head, Kari took a few steps closer before kneeling down in front of her. “T-Trust me… please?”

As the little witch moved her hand in front of her face, the cat girl sniffed her hand a few times before giving her a gentle lick. Giggling, Kari nodded before looking down at Abby. She looked… exhausted. “H-How long have you been guarding her?” It was apparent now that’s why Nya had acted so hostile towards her.

Smiling proudly, the cat girl purred contently as she nuzzled the now unconscious girl into her cheek. “Nyaaa! Nya, nyaa nya, nyaaa…” Nodding her head, Kari sighed before sitting down next to the pair. “I-I didn’t know you liked humans this much… I bet if Ebon knew this she wouldn’t have given her to you. She wanted you to kill her…”

Hissing loudly, Nya narrowed her eyes before pulling Abby closer to her chest. “B-B-But, I-I’m not going to let her!” She corrected herself causing the Neko to nod her head slowly. “But… she is hurt.” Kari whispered quietly, her magenta eyes scanning the brunette over. She could see bruises all over her body, not to mention her arm was bent at an awkward angle.

“You… you didn’t do this to her… did you?” As the kitten shook her head, the little witch nodded before moving her hands forward, an action the Neko took threateningly. Hearing her friend beginning to growl again, Kari paused before raising her hands up defensively. “I need to check her condition. P-Please, let me see her. I won’t harm her….”

As minutes ticked by slowly, the Neko’s eyes were locked onto the witch’s before she lowered her head. “N-Nyaa…” Moving her hands forward, the cat girl released the human before sitting up. “N-N-Nya, nyaa, nyaaa nya, nyaaa!” Turning her head, Kari smiled before nodding. “That’s fine, you can come with me and guard her.”

“Nya!” The Neko chirped before crawling on all fours. Cradling the shrunken, battered girl in her hands gently, Kari lifted Abby up before looking down at her sadly. ‘Y-You must be in a lot of pain… I’m so sorry.’ Sniffling, the blonde moved to the entrance of the den before jerking her head. “Come on Nya, I’m taking her back to my room.”

Jumping up the ledge after her, both witch and Neko began walking away, making sure to not draw attention to them…

This wasn’t going to look good on either of their parts…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Hearing a gentle rumbling echoing around her, Abby breathed deeply in her sleep. It sounded like water rippling. It was relaxing. However, the roaring water wasn’t the only thing she heard. As consciousness steadily wrestled its way back into her, the brunette’s eyes opened slowly as she gazed upwards. She felt… numb… and very confused.

Staring upwards at the glowing neon lights that shined over her, Abby felt a smile form over her lips. ‘B-Beautiful…’ She didn’t know where she was, but she felt really good… Watching as something moved above her field of vision, Abby leaned up slowly before falling back in surprise.

‘M-My arm…’ Looking down at her bandaged limb, the teenager tried to move her limp appendage, but it wasn’t responding. Something was off… Looking forward at what It was that first caught her attention, Abby waved her other hand. “H-H-Hello?”

Moving around her table, Kari blinked before her head peaked up. Looking towards her shrunken patient, the little witch smiled. “H-H-Hi… u-umm, how do you f-feel?” She stuttered out quietly as she averted her eyes. Looking up at the colossal girl, Abby wondered why she felt so calm. She was looking at a Monster after all. But… that pleasant feeling was still there.

“I feel… really, really good… But, what did you give me?” She wasn’t naive. There was some kind of opiate in her system. But, it was strong and very potent. Licking her lips, the younger girl moved to the opposite end the table before walking back over with a bottle in her hand.

“T-This is what I used, but I added some of my own extracts to enhance it so it might feel strange at first. You shouldn’t feel any pain, though. I… I had to push your arm back in its socket and I was scared you would be into much pain when you woke up.” She whispered quietly.

Looking to the familiar bottle, Abby nodded. ‘Chamomile.’ She was using the crushed plant to dull her senses. No wonder she felt so out of it. And that probably explained why she wasn’t screaming. Looking up at the child, the brunette would have shivered but her body felt unattached to her consciousness.

But… her mind still worked fine, if a bit sedated. ‘W-Why am I not dead?’ She remembered the Neko tasting her, but after that, not much else. She must have passed out. Blushing, Abby moved her uninjured arm lower before cupping her waist. 'D-Did that all really happen?'

Looking down slowly, the brunette observed herself. She was in some kind of makeshift bed, it was soft… maybe cotton or wool? She couldn’t honestly say. But draped around her, covering her nude form… was her red ribbon. Touching the silky material, the shrunken girl soon grew saddened.

“I-It all really happened, didn’t it?” Blinking, Kari looked back down at her little guest before frowning. “What really happened? What do you mean?” Looking up to the child, the brunette simply shook her head. “W-W-Why am I here? I… I was being eaten by, by that M-Monster… but now, I’m here. What happened?” Frowning, Kari set what she was working on down before lowering her gaze.

“N-Nya wasn’t eating you. S-She was grooming you.” Noticing the smaller girl furrowing her brow, clearly confused by her statement, the blonde elaborated. “Neko’s like to groom themselves, their compulsive about it. But when they like someone they start to groom them to show them they care. Nya wasn’t licking you because she thought you tasted good. She was just trying to make you feel safe is all? She was guarding you when I arrived.”

Taking in the girl's words silently, Abby stared down at her nude from before frowning. “T-Then… then why did she, r-rape me afterward's?” Blushing furiously, Kari fidgeted before looking away. “U-Uh… w-well, you probably did taste good to her. Beastials can smell the faintest hints of aromas that we Hominal can’t. Y-You probably gave off something she liked… all of our kind is affected by it. She’s just more susceptible.” The witch explained quietly before noticing the confusion still present thereafter.

“P-P-Please don’t make me explain it again!” She stammered embarrassedly before cupping her face to hide it. Shaking her head, Abby thought over her words before feeling her cheeks flush as well. “Beastial… and Hominal?” She had never heard of these words before.

Nodding her head slowly, the little witch uncovered her face before leaning over the desk. “W-Well… your kind calls up Monsters… but that’s not what we call ourselves. We have categories for the three kinds. Humans, which you are. Hominal, which are humanoid which is what I am. And Beastial which are creatures who are animalistic and feral. We don’t call each other the things you do. We all have names, but most of them are made by humans and rejected by our kind.” Kari explained in further detail.

Tapping her lips in thought, Abby listened quietly. She had never once heard of these names mentioned. Did her Master not know of this either? Or, was it just made up by Monsters? But, this raised, even more, questions than answers!

“W-W-Why does that Neko… like me?” Scowling, the little witch picked up the vials she had been holding earlier before mixing them together. “Her name’s Nya, and I don’t know. She usually hides from others. Najia and I are the only two people who she likes to be around.” She shrugged before moving the concoction over the brunette's face.

“H-Here, drink this please.” Narrowing her eyes, Abby was about to refuse, but she could smell what it was. ‘Turmeric… How does she know about all of these medicinal plants?’ The ginger root was used for anti-inflammation. She was treating her…

Opening her mouth up as far as she could, Abby’s eyes shot open in discomfort as she bitter, spicy fluid was poured down her throat. Coughing uncontrollably, Abby groaned before gritting her teeth, the painless sensation of her body now gone. “W-W-What… w-was all of that?” She felt worse now than she did before!

Putting the rest of the fluid down, Kari grabbed a small washcloth before dabbing it over the smaller girls face. “I had to give you something to stop any internal problems. I may not look like it but I’m a Doctor, so trust me.” She smiled proudly.

Looking at the child in disbelief, Abby shook her head. “W-Why Turmeric r-root and not fish oil t-then?” If she wanted to stop inflammation, that would have worked a little slower but it would have been less invasive. Frowning, the sandy blonde shook her head.

“I don’t have any fish oil. My supplies are limited because of where we are. I had to use…” The witch paused before trailing off completely. “W-Wait, you know what I used…?” Nodding her head as best she could, Abby smiled softly. “I-I’m a doctor's assistant. I make medicines for my Master all the time.”

Staring down at the smaller girl with star-struck eyes, Kari grinned. “R-Really?! You’re a Doctor too!” Scowling, Abby shook her head. “N-Not fully. I’m still in training…” Shrugging off her words, the little witch bounced up and down giddily. “T-T-Then… c-could you take a look at my patient with me? P-Pretty please!”

Frowning as her senses began to return thanks to the conflicting medicines, Abby slowly began to shiver. “I-I-Is… is it, a Monster?” Stiffening, the younger girl looked downward before clenching her fists. “P-Please don’t call her that. She’s not a Monster. Not like you Humans are.”

Raising her head, the brunette felt her fear slowly rising. The child in front of her now was a witch after all. Not to mention what she did to her… Laying her head back on the table, Abby bit her lip. “I… I can’t.” Gawking at the resolute statement, Kari stomped her foot angrily. “WHY NOT! She’s not a Monster! She… she’s family…”

Hearing the hurt in her tone, Abby continued to hold back her feelings. “I-I can’t…. I can’t do it. E-Every day, I have to help my Master deal with your kind…” She sniffled before shaking her head as tears freed themselves from her eyes. “A-A-And every day… I suffer, having to watch them in pain. Everyone that your kind hurts!” She screamed before crying harder, her tears no longer held back.

A Monster asking her to help another Monster! Whoever it was probably was hurt because they attacked someone else! She… she couldn’t do it, she just couldn't. It went against everything she believed in. She wouldn’t help a Monster… just for it to recover and then hurt others again.

Hanging her head in silence, Kari clenched the table she was standing over before directing her hateful magenta eyes towards the smaller girl. “AND WHAT ABOUT YOU! I HELPED YOU! I’M A WITCH AND I HELPED A HUMAN!” She screamed angrily causing the smaller girl to jump.

Gritting her teeth now, Abby met the child’s hate filled eyes head on with her own anger. “HELPED ME!? Y-YOU DID THIS TO ME! LOOK AT ME!” She shrieked. Flinching, Kari tried to keep her eyes locked… but she couldn’t. “YOU DID THIS TO ME! T-The reason I’m like this now… is your fault!” She whispered venomously.

However… the spite in her tone left almost instantly as she saw a small trail of tears dripping down the child’s face. “I-I… I’m sorry. I really am… b-but please, don’t punish Najia because of something I did!” She stammered. Clenching her eyes shut, Abby shook her head. “I won’t do it!”

“PLEASE, I’LL DO ANYTHING!” Freezing up, the shrunken girl gulped as she let the younger girls words sink in. After a few minutes, the brunette licked her parched lips before speaking once again. “A-Anything?” Nodding her head furiously, the little witch gripped the table harder as she leaned over Abby.

“I-I’ll do anything! I-I’ll give you anything! I… I don’t care what it is… I’ll find a way to do it for you. B-But please, you have to help Najia… I’m… I’m too weak.” She whimpered before more tears broke out. She had tried to help her patient… but she was only worsening. She needed help. That’s why she had ventured out to find help in the first place.

Lying upwards as she felt her body slowly healing, Abby closed her eyes before sighing. “C-Can you fix me?” Looking down at the smaller girl confused, the blonde was about to ask what she meant before it dawned on her. “Y-You mean, can I change you back to your normal height?” Nodding her head, Abby looked up at the witch sternly.

“C-Can you fix me!” She didn’t want to die, not like this! Whimpering, the younger girl moved her gloved hand over to her mouth before chewing on her clothed digit as she thought about what she was asking her to do. None of the others would allow it…

But, if she cured Najia… then maybe, just maybe… they would look the other way. It was possible… just very risky. Not to mention if Ebon got word of her survival then things would take a grim turn instantly. The moment she took the Human with her, she had feared for her life… but, maybe she could give that life back to her this way?

They would both win… Gulping herself, Kari tugged on one of her gloves before releasing her pale hand. “I-If you can save Najia… I’ll unshrink you. B-But you need to do your best! If I had my way I’d change you back now, but the others would just kill you! You need to stay like this till you help her. T-Then, then they won’t harm you. Everyone here loves Najia and wants her to get better. So… t-that’s all I can promise you. If you help her… I’ll change you back.”

The witch stammered out before extending her dainty hand. Looking up at the younger girl, the teenager frowned. This felt like a dark bargain... She was going to use her gifts, the skills her Master had bestowed upon her… to help a Monster. The very creatures she swore hatred to as a child.

Was there no other way… Hardening her gaze, the brunette lifted her unbandage arm up weakly before gripping the blonde's extended finger. “D-Deal. I’ll heal her… but you have to change me back the moment she’s better!” Crossing her heart, Kari smiled.

“Deal.” And like that… she had made a deal with the Devil. Tugging her midnight glove back on, Kari grinned before cupping her hands together. “T-T-Thank you…” Ignoring her for now, Abby nodded. She didn’t want to think about it anymore then she had to. If her Master knew she was doing something like this to save her own skin… he’d be appalled.

Wait, her Master! “H-H-Hey! W-What day is it?” Blinking, Kari looked down before scowling. “It’s Monday? What’s wrong?” Sighing in relief, the brunette nodded. It was still the same day. Her Master wasn’t back yet. If he found her missing, what would he think? She had to fix this Monster before Friday…

“Don’t worry about it; I just got scared I was here for a while.” Frowning, the little witch wanted to inquire more but decided not to in favor of helping Najia. “Can you stand?” Rolling her bandaged arm, the joint clicked a bit but the pain was mostly gone. Whatever she had used to numb it earlier was a hell of a lot stronger than just the herbs she saw before.

While she was here it wouldn’t hurt to learn what the witch had done. She might be a Monster, but Medical knowledge was a godsend. She’d accept it wherever it came from. “Yeah, I’ll be fine…” Crawling to her feet slowly, Abby’s face instantly turned red as her ribbon fell from her naked form. Cupping her breasts, the teenager blushed before looking away.

“D-D-Do you have my c-clothes?” Frowning, Kari looked away sheepishly before rubbing the back of her head. “W-Well… not exactly.” Scowling, the brunette wanted to demand what she meant before something was moved in front of her. “Nya kind of tore up your dress… I’m guessing it was getting in the way of what she really wanted under it. S-So, I stitched you these when you were sleeping. “

Looking down at the small garment in the palm of her hands, Abby frowned. She had made some kind of cross stitched beige drape that was made half hazardously. Frankly... it didn’t do much more than the ribbon had. But… she probably shouldn’t be complaining. The Witch didn’t have to make her anything, to begin with.

Accepting the gift begrudgingly, Abby was silent as she turned around. Tossing the loose dress over herself, the brunette tried to fit in it as best she could before crying out in surprise as something wrapped around her waist. “Hold still.”

Struggling as she was slowly bound, Abby finally pulled away as she glared hatefully up at the younger girl. “W-W-WHAT WAS THAT FOR!” Frowning, Kari pointed to her waist before the shrunken girl calmed down. Around her midsection was a small twine string that held the dress tighter to her. Clenching her fists, the teenager looked away sheepishly before sighing.

“T-T-Thank you…” Nodding, Kari kept an indifferent expression as she lowered her hands. “Alright, are you ready to see our patient?” Turning back, Abby nodded before stepping up and onto her palms carefully. This was horrifying! If the Monster so much as wanted to harm her she could simply close her hands, and that would be it…

A thought that brought some rather graphic images to her mind. Shivering, the smaller girl was suddenly brought back to reality as she was tugged upwards. Screaming in fright, Abby clung to the witches hand for dear life before hearing a loud sigh above her. “I’m not going to drop you or anything. Don’t forget I carried you here after all.”

Kari defended herself before making her way out of her room and into the dimly lit tunnels. As the duo began progressing deeper in, the shrunken girl looked around in silent wonder. There was fluorescent fauna growing all over the ceiling. It looked to be the same ones that had been in the younger girls cave… Frankly, they were beautiful.

“D-Do these grow here by themselves? They don’t look indigenous to this area. I’ve never encountered anything like them when I go out collecting my herbs.” She mumbled. Shaking her head, Kari beamed proudly as she moved the smaller girl a bit higher to see.

“They’re not. I grew all of this myself, though.” She chirped happily. Looking to the witch in surprise, Abby simply shook her head. “H-H-How?! Is it an alga? A fungus? Do they require sunlight to multiply? Does it thrive on the humidity of the cave? What makes it glow multicolored like that and not just a singular pigmentation?”

Pausing her rapid-fire questions, Abby looked up to the sandy blonde as she stopped walking before panicking as she saw her eyes swirling. “I… umm, w-w-well… uh…” Waving her hands back and forth, the smaller girl tried to calm the child down. “S-Sorry, one question at a time! Umm… how did you grow them?”

Feeling her composure return, Kari sighed before smiling softly. “Well, it wasn’t all me in all honesty. Najia taught me how to cultivate these. They are fungi. When there’s light around them they don’t glow at all and appear as a dull gray color which blends in with the rocks. But once they lights go out, they show their true colors. As to why there different, that’s more to do on their species. These aren’t all the same fungi. I extracted parts of different kinds and grew them together to make these.”

Nodding her head slowly as she filed away this information, Abby continued to look at them in wonder. Each one had a unique color to them. Most were a light green or aquamarine but some specks of orange or yellow were thrown in as well. If it were a bit brighter sadly she’d probably be able to differentiate the species. But as it stood, she couldn’t even figure out what they were.

“Hey, how come the ones In that other cave I woke up in were all a brighter shade then these ones?” Snickering, the younger girl shook her head. “They weren’t silly. It was just an illusion.” Furrowing her brow, Abby wanted to ask but it seemed like the witch was eager to beat her to it.

“This canyon we’re in has a long winding system of tunnels, and each cave is unique in its own right. Mine has a few pools of water flowing through it and down to other chambers so the glow from the ceiling is reflected all around off the waterfalls making it appear brighter.”

Nodding her head once more, Abby sighed. “You seem to know an awful lot about these types of things for a kid.” Smirking, Kari smiled proudly before adding a skip to her step. She rarely got to talk about her work like this. “Uh huh. Najia taught me all I know. She’s a really smart woman, and she knows everything! Well… not everything, b-but most everything!”

Propping her head up on her arm, the brunette sulked. ‘Yeah and I’m helping her… lucky me.’ If this Monster got better and was as intelligent as the witch made her out to be she could be a real threat to society. Was her own life really worth the risk? Questioning her morals more and more, Abby was brought out of her thoughts as the pair came into a wider cave entrance before it opened up to reveal what was within.

Looking around, the smaller girl hummed thoughtfully. Even if it was a cave, it was more civilized then she had thought. There were a few makeshift mats in one area, and a large work table with assorted plants and vials on it. Resting near a small pond in the corner as well were a few pitchers and cups. It looked like some kind of rest area.

‘Although I doubt it’s very sterile…’ Stepping into the middle of the room, the brunette’s eyes soon locked onto a moving form near one of the beds before she paled. “GAH, H-H-HEY, D-D-DON’T LET HER NEAR M-ME!” Perking her ears upward, the moving form soon looked to the two new arrivals before a broad grin broke out over her lips.

“NYAAA!” Screaming as she saw the Neko running towards them, Kari laughed happily as she saw the cat girl bouncing up and down as she tried to paw at Abby. “H-Hey, Nya, s-stop!” She giggled before lowering the girl down slowly. Looking up at the witch in horror, the teenager clung to her hand for dear life.

D-D-DON’T LET THAT MONSTER NEAR ME! SHE ALMOST KILLED ME LAST TIME!” Scowling, Kari paused before flicking the finger Abby had been clinging to. “Don’t be mean! Nya wasn’t going to hurt you, I already told you that. She was protecting you… kind of.” Backing up against her palm, the older girl shook her head fearfully as Nya’s looming face rested over her.

“Nyaa?” “She’s asking if you’re alright.” Gawking, Abby looked to the witch in shock before stuttering. “Y-Y-You c-can understand t-this thing!?” Giving the girl another scowl, Kari puffed her cheeks out before pointing to the cat girl.

“She’s not a thing! Nya is a Neko, and yes I can understand her… kind of.” Gulping as the kitten moved her face closer, the little cat girl began to purr. “N-N-Nya…? T-That’s her name? Like the thing, she keeps saying?” Nodding her head, Kari sat down slowly before showing the smaller girl to the Neko.

“Uh huh, that’s the only sound she makes so that’s what Najia calls her. She seems to like the name though so we all just started to call her that.” Turning her head to the side, the Neko smiled cheerfully as her tail flicked back and forth freely. “Nyaaa!”

Shivering, Abby watched the Neko with sharp eyes. She wasn’t about to let this thing have its way with her again! “You know, you should say thank you. She can understand you know.” Looking up at the blonde with skepticism, the teenager shook her head.

“The hell she does! I told her to stop attacking me and she never did!” Blushing, Kari looked away sheepishly before petting Nya’s head, the cat girl mewing happily from the gentle touches. “She’s a Beastial! She couldn’t help her instincts. All of our kind thrive from energy, and humans have an abundant source of it… T-T-That includes… well…” She stuttered quietly as her face lit up brighter.

Piecing together where she was going with that statement, Abby flushed red as well. “E-Even so, there’s no way she knows what I’m saying… how is it possible? She’s a feral.” Sighing, Kari looked to Nya before scratching under the girl's chin.

“Nya, can you understand me?” “Nyaa!” “Do you know what I’m saying? “Nyaa!” “Do you like it when I scratch under your chin?” “NYAA!” “Do you like the little lady?” “NYAA!” Do you want to stay here while we work Nya? “Nyaa!”

Looking back down at the brunette, Kari smiled. “See, I told you.” Giving both girls a blank look, Abby growled before flailing her arms. “ALL SHE SAID WAS NYA! HOW DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT SHE WAS SAYING?!” Shrugging her shoulders, Kari simply smiled. “I don’t know, I can just kind of tell. There’s a different pitch in her tone when she says yes or no. You just need to take the time to notice it. I’m one of the only people who play with her so I’m usually the only one who can tell. B-But she really can understand us. Watch. Nya say you’re happy to be here and you don’t want to hurt her and that you’re sorry for what you did to her!”

“Nyaaa, nya nyaa, nyaaa nya, nyaaa nya, nya, nyaa ,nya ,nya!” Palming her face, Abby shook her head. She did seem intelligent… at least. But there was no way to tell if the witch was telling the truth of just simply messing with her at this point. “F-F-Fine… whatever. Let’s just go see Naj… or naha?” “Najia!” “Right…”

Pouting, Kari stood back up before making her way over to the bed, Nya following close behind cheerfully. Standing over a larger bed that looked to be made from a couple of the others around them, the teenager soon frowned. Resting on the mats, was a beautiful woman. She had golden blonde hair and nine equally long and golden tails resting all around her… lifelessly.

“S-She’s a Kitsune?” Nodding her head, Kari whimpered sadly before moving the smaller girl closer. Observing the clearly unconscious Monster, a feeling of worry passed over the brunette. ‘B-But Kitsune’s aren’t native to Ireland… Is she from another country?’

If so, that would explain the strange clothing she had on. It looked like some kind of yellow dress… but she had never seen anything similar to it before. One thing was for certain, though… there was a lot of blood staining them. Gulping, Abby took a deep breath to calm her nerves as she let her subconscious take over. “Open her dress…”

Nodding her head, Kari moved the smaller girl down before resting her in Nya’s open hands as she got to work. Pulling the blanket away that had been tossed over her waist, the little witch undid the buttons on her mini yukata before pulling it apart.

Cupping her mouth, Abby coughed before narrowing her eyes. She has bandages all over her waist and stomach with patches of blood everywhere. She was in dire condition. “WHAT HAVE YOU GIVEN HER!” jumping from the change in tone, Kari stuttered before shrinking as she saw the commanding look she was being given. “Tell me everything you gave her chronologically!”

Nodding, the younger girl started telling her what she did, how the Kitsune had gotten back to them shortly before passing out from her wounds. After cleaning and disinfecting them she had bandaged them and it had been a battle back and forth for a few days as she kept her fever down. But now… she showed no signs of change, even with the medicines she prepared for her…

Kneeling down as she observed her, the little human laced her fingers as she began running the procedure in her mind. This was one of the things that she was good at. But she had to act fast. The witch had done well with her treatments so far but unless they acted soon she wasn’t going to pull through.

Pausing her thoughts, Abby looked up the blonde before frowning. “H-Hey… I never got your name…” Blinking, the little witch looked up before nodding back. “I’m Kari. Now please tell me what I need to do!” Licking her lips, Claire pointed to the table near them.

“We need to make her some medicine to restore her red blood cell count. Her body will naturally do that but we need to speed up their production factor. She needs minerals, iron, and selective vitamins B-12, B-6, and E.” Looking down at Abby in wonder, Kari was soon brought back to reality was the shrunken girl waved up at her.

“NOW!” Jumping, Kari nodded before taking her over to her table. Setting the little human down, the blonde began moving all the bottle she had around so they would be easier for her to see. “A-A-Alright, tell me what I need to mix!” Nodding, the brunette was about to begin before pausing.

All these bottles looked familiar. Feeling the cogs in her mind slowly beginning to turn, Abby gawked. “D-D-DID YOU RAID MY MASTER’S SHOP!” These were their medicinal powders and herbs! Blushing, Kari nodded sheepishly before lowering her head.

“I-I-I didn’t have a choice! I tried to go to you for help and you screamed and drew attention to me! I’m sorry!” Stomping her foot angrily, Abby shook her head before looking back to the bottles. ‘Well… at least I’ll be in my area of expertise.’ She knew these medicines like the back of her hand…

“Alright, we’ll talk about your thievery later… for now, I need you to find the Echinacea, it’s a light purple flower, like your eyes… sometimes.” Furrowing her brow, Kari began looking over all the bottles before pulling some bright magenta herbs forward. “These right?”

Nodding, the brunette pointed to a grinding bowl on the far end of the table before thinking. “You need to turn them into a fine powder, start on that. I need a minute to figure out what to add to it.” Going to the task she was given, Kari smiled before getting to work. Her hope was rising now. She had another Doctor there with her… a better one.

Together, they could both save Najia. “How long has she been passed out?” “Four days!” “Grab the yellow docks powder and sprinkle it in.” “This stuff?” “Yes!” “Alright, she’ll need to have the blood that’s already in her system filtered, the powder will help with that but we need a little more. Add a pinch, but just a pinch! Of Licorice root. We don’t want to give her too much. “G-G-Got it!”

Turning her head back and forth on the ground as she stared between both girls working, Nya soon mewed. This was beyond her comprehension. Biting her lip as she paced back and forth amongst the bottles, Abby looked around with worry. “H-Hey, grab some Dandelion extract, we need that as well.”

Jumping around the table, Kari nodded as she lifted up each of her small vials of extract… but none showed a label of a dandelion. All of them had some type of a marking for what they were but none were it. “I… I don’t think we have any…” Pausing, the brunette growled before looking around herself.

“You raided our shop, there has to be some here!” Whimpering as she saw her franticness growing by the second, Abby stomped her foot angrily. There wasn’t any there! “C-Can we substitute it?” Shaking her head, the little human crossed her arms. “Dandelions have a lot of potencies, especially once they're made into an extract. It has levulin, taraxacerin, and inulin, three agents that are greatly needed for… Najia’s, recover?”

She hoped she pronounced that right. Panicking, Kari began looking around frantically once again before slamming her padded hands on the table. “T-T-THEN WHAT DO WE DO NOW! W-WHERE CAN I FIND DANDELIONS TO MAKE IT!” Shaking her head, Abby looked away, her expression troubled now.

“Even if you found the flower which isn’t indigenous to this area, it would take a week tops for it to reach the right level of extract required to benefit her. She doesn’t have that kind of time Kari.” Crying, the little witch continued to slam her fists down angrily now.

“THEN WHAT DO WE DO!” Silence rang out in the room as Abby thought over what their options were. They could give her what they had started to make but any substitutions wouldn’t heal her as well since they worked best with the chemical components within the flowers extract.

No… if she was going to heal quickly she needed this medicine. “We need to go back to the shop. My Master’s shop.” Paling, Kari looked down at the brunette shocked before she shook her head. “B-B-But, I c-can’t! People saw me leaving there! If I go back they’ll know I’m a witch!”

Biting her lip, Abby scowled. She had really wished that she hadn’t screamed witch now. “We have to risk it. She needs this extract!” Pacing back and forth, Kari slowly nodded as her eyes teared up. She’d do it… for Najia. But, she just didn’t know how.

“I… I guess… we have to.” Nodding, Abby flopped down on the table before looking over at the unconscious Kitsune. “I’m sorry, but I’m not a miracle worker. I can’t cure her unless I have the proper medicine. I firmly believe all things can be cured… but it takes more than just wishful thinking.”  She sighed.

She didn’t care for helping Monsters… but even so, it hurt her to think she wasn’t able to do anything for her. She was going to die if they didn’t step in. “I… I have an idea. B-But you might not like it…” Blinking, Abby looked back to the younger girl before scowling.

“W-What is it…? I already told you we NEED that extract.” Nodding, Kari fidgeted before pointing to Nya. “I-I can’t be seen… but what about someone else? Someone, who your village won’t think twice about?” Crossing her arms, the miniature girl gave her a deadpanned look before pointing to the Neko. “And how will cat ears and a freaking tail help hide her! She can’t even talk to the villagers if worst comes to worse!”

“Nyaaa!”

“Exactly!” Tapping her foot, Abby shook her head. “Nya won’t work Kari, it has to be you.” Shivering, the blonde slowly shook her head before looking back down at her. “I-I-It wasn’t Nya I was talking about…”

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“GO FUCK YOURSELVES SIDEWAYS! NEXT TIME I’M COMING FOR YOUR HEADS!”

Stomping down the tight corridors of their cave, Casey grit her teeth as she heard the playful laughter echoing behind her. Twisting her neck from left to right, she nodded before tightening the white bandage wrappings around her neck. Now she had to have them fixed, yet again!

“Fucking cunts, the lot of them…” She hated those two more than anyone else… Always trying to play with her like that… Well, the next time they tried to grab her head she’d have something nasty waiting in store. Smiling wolfishly, the darkness around her lashed out a bit before she calmed herself down.

Stepping into one of the caverns that divided the girl's separate chambers, the redhead paused before looking down Kari’s tunnel. The last she saw her friend… of sorts, she was still crying. Sighing, the older girl shook her head before making her way towards her own area.

‘It was her fault not mine that she was put in her place. She shouldn’t have brought a freaking human to our home…’ Tsking, she nodded before quickening her pace. All she wanted more than anything now was to just hide in her own sanctuary and play with her shadows. She had, had enough of this day already…

Stepping into her chambers, the redhead rolled her neck again before pausing. Glaring angrily she looked to the corner of the room before her eyes softened. “Jeez, you got a death wish? The last time someone came in here I almost took their head as my trophy!” She snapped angrily. She was still really angry about earlier… Not that it was her fault…

Looking up her friends silently, Kari licked her lips before moving forward. “C-C-Casey, I have a favor to ask you… but, you’re not going to like it…

To be continued…