Chapter 200: The Tale behind the Hunter
KuliKuli gasped, stumbling as she lost balance and fell on her butt. The other Nekomata took notice, their cat ears springing up in high alert. Dimyri was the first to stop her digging, ignoring the rustling of chains as she knelt down to help her little sister. Her caramel hair hung from the side, framing her face as she held her sister with a worried look.
"Hey, talk to me here. You're scaring me." She pleaded.
"Hey!" Their fur stood up as they turned their heads. One of the guards spotted her sudden fumble and was speed walking toward them, his banner showing Perdilius' insignia as it waved with his movement. His silver chest plate shimmered with a reflection of the sun, and his hand rested on the handle of his sword. He arrived in short time with only his brown eyes glaring down through the thick visor and helm covering his head. "Get back to work!"
"Sorry, we'll get to it right away. She just fell-"
"What's wrong with her, is she broken?" The man barked in a hoarse voice, clutching a wooden stick in his other hand. With it, he pointed straight at Dimyri as the tip of it grazed her face. "Get up, both of you. NOW!"
To her surprise, one of the cat girls nearby stepped in as close as she could before one of her chains pulled her back by her collar. "Please, she just lost balance. You're scaring her-"
"Mind your tongue, beast!"
THWACK!
He swung his weapon, striking her across the face. She collapsed as the girls chained beside her cried out as they recoiled, pressing their paws against their chests and trembling. The commotion had grabbed the attention of the other guards nearby, with those positioned atop the watch tower at the center of the field staring with interest. Neither of the two raised their crossbows, which allowed some of the girls to worry less.
Dimyri flinched from the assault, turning around and seeing the other Nekomata bleeding from her nose. She hissed and bared her fangs at the guard, her tails lifting behind her. "STOP THAT!"
The man snorted and cocked his head, pointing his stick at KuliKuli as she opened her eyes. "Get enough rest for the day, cat? That'll be two lashes for lazing about."
"It wasn't her fault!" Dimyri pleaded.
Uninterested, the man sprayed some dirt on them both with a kick across the ground. "Five beatings more for this one to remind you to stay at it!"
Raising his stick, he swung it down just as Dimyri raised her arm. She winced as it struck against her forearm, sending a burning pain across her nerves. She hunched over, shielding her sister with her body as the man pulled back, ready to strike once more. Something resembling a wire slung toward his foot and wrapped firmly around his ankle, tightening like a coil. He was pulled down, landing on his chest with a thud! Some of the men observing from their posts hollered in laughter.
The guard removed the chin strap and plucked his helmet off before coughing out spot. He was on his hands and knees, wheezing and gagging for air, coughing with such force that his face turned red while the sound of footsteps approached. Once he had cleared his throat, a boot struck him across the chest, knocking him back down as he landed on his back.
"Agh! The fuck-?" He glanced up with a half-closed eye, his spotted dirty face with dark wispy tangled hair matted with sweat being met with the tip of the hunter's sword. He pressed his head back, nearly digging into the dirt as the edge tapped his nose.
"Not so easy for you now, is it?" Leone spoke through an icy tone. He sheathed his weapon and stepped over the man, kneeling down and addressing the girl's bruised face. He dug into his utility belt and dipped a rag into some ointment before pressing it to her nose. "Keep it pressed, angle your head up slightly till the bleeding stops."
She stared at him in bewilderment, nervously keeping the rag in place as he looked to the other two Nekomata. His confidence shifted to uneasiness as he looked to Dimyri, almost asking for her permission. She shifted KuliKuli, laying her head to rest on her lap. Noticing their dad's awkward look, she sighed and cocked her head in a come-here gesture.
Leone knelt opposite of her, both of them keeping KuliKuli up. He pressed his hand against her forehead, testing for a fever before shaking his head. He brushed her silver hair back, looking at the numerous cuts left on her arms from the previous day's events. They were healing but still red, though he doubted this was an infection she was going through.
"Kuli?" Dimyri pleaded, holding her paw. "C'mon, talk to us."
KuliKuli came to with half-open eyes, groaning and shifting around. Leone held her as she sat up and rubbed her head.
"It's Felix, he's in trouble," She looked to her sister, cradling her paw. "Dimyri, we have to do something."
"I- sure, but there's not much we can do from here." Dimyri helped her back up and brushing the dust of her arms. "Just try to stay calm."
"Hard to do that when we're locked up like this." She looked around, gasping at the sight of the injured cat girl nearby. She stepped back and covered her mouth when she spotted the red bruise on her sister. "Dimyri, your arm!"
"Forget about it." She pulled her arm back, tucking it behind her. "Sis, we need to keep digging or they'll hurt us again. They already threatened us with beatings-"
"Not going to happen." Leone interrupted, stepping between them as his eyes fell on the exposed guard. He had collected himself as a nearby soldier picked him up, and now both had their eyes on the hunter. "You'll forget about this little incident, won't you?"
The guard wiped the drool of his lip and spat to the side before aiming a finger at him. "Who the fuck do you think ye are, makin' a mockery o'me like dat? Just cuz yer sum kind o' hunter, dat don't mean you have rank 'ere."
"You've got a problem? Take it up with your zealot you call father."
"Stinking snow top piece o' filth!" He had reached for his sword when the soldier beside him pulled him back.
"Noll, don't! He's not worth it, mate."
Just then, the bell rang as the rear doors to the tower began to open. The aged wood groaned loudly reminiscent of a large horn crying out in battle, parting ways for the next row of cat girls to take over. The guards whistled and called out for the Nekomata to stand up and form a line, which included Dimyri and KuliKuli. Leone and Noll never wavered from their confrontation, eyes locked daring the other to make a move. Noll was the first to walk, urged by his friend yanking his arm until he pulled himself free.
"I got it!" He cried out, annoyed and bitter. The two moved on, leaving the hunter standing alone as the cat girls were brought back inside while the next clutter took their place.
After lunch, the girls were led back to their cells. As usual, they were escorted to the same dimly lit hallway with half a dozen cells at each side. Just the other day, they were accompanied by a newly added cat girl to their neighboring cell. But as they moved past the empty room, Dimyri hung her head in despair believing the girl had been transported elsewhere or worse. Their shackles were removed, freeing their wrists as their cell was laid open for them.
KuliKuli and Dimyri stepped inside as the guards locked the barred door. They heard them walking off based on the fading sound of keys jingling down the corridor. The siblings slid down each wall while facing each other. KuliKuli planted her paw against the cold black iron bars, tracing along the interconnected pattern. Their ears sprang up as the sound of the door opening and closing had reemerged, accompanied by trailing footsteps coming their way.
Before long, they were met by Leone as he stood facing them from beyond the prison bars. KuliKuli huffed and looked away, with her sister sinking back down as neither seemed to welcome his presence. The hunter hung his head and nodded in understanding, sneaking a glance down the hall to ensure they were alone.
"How is your arm?"
Dimyri looked at her bruise. "Could've been worse."
"Good. That won't be happening again, I'll see to it."
KuliKuli scoffed. "You're threatening us now?"
"No, you misunderstood. It's- " He breathed in, "The other way around."
"Hmph."
He knelt down, holding onto the bars with one hand while looking between the two. "I just thought you should know that Emyri is doing... well. Somewhat. I believe they intend to use her as leverage until they recover Syri from the elves."
Neither one of the stirred in response.
"Kuli, how are your wounds? You feeling better, do they still hurt-"
"Why are you asking?" Kuli turned around to face him. "I deserved it after what I did. Perdilius used me to find our clutter, of course some of them would hate me for it. I'm shocked they all don't blame me for this."
"Kuli." Dimyri reached out.
Leone shook his head, keeping contact with her. "Blaming yourself won't help."
"No, it won't." She agreed much to his surprise, "Because I know I didn't do it voluntarily. What's your excuse? You're helping him out of your own free will. Now you think helping us from a fight or two would make things even? Where were you all those years, I never got to see you growing up. None of us did. When mom said dad wasn't with us anymore, I thought she meant that you were dead. Do you know how horrible it feels to find out the man hunting you down is also your dad?"
"I- " Leone hung his head, unable to reply. He rolled around, sitting against the bar door with his back to them. "You've every right to think the worst of me. I'm not asking for forgiveness or for you to understand."
"Then what are you asking for?" Dimyri pried, leaning against the bars.
Leone looked up and sighed loudly. "Your mother and I, that's a lot to unravel. There were sightings of monster girls pillaging a village for food. I was sent to remove them, that's when we first met. I won't bore you with the details, things were bumpy between us. A lot happened, feelings began to surface, and we did something stupid down the line. I lied, told the others that the monsters were dealt with. Emyri was stealing food because it was winter, and their clutter were traveling through the storm. Snowfall had risen by a few inches, and they had lost many to nature's wrath. I didn't have it in me to kill them, so I helped them."
"That's how our relationship began. It was mutual then, and months later we... grew closer. By next year, you were born."
KuliKuli looked to her sister, seeing her scoot her knees to her chest to hug them.
"I told myself not to worry, that we can make it happen. Your mother knew me better, she would try to comfort me. But we knew I had to make a choice between the clutter or the guild. I procrastinated, kept brushing those thoughts aside while taking up more work. I thought that we could ignore the problems by doing what we did best. Her and her clutter, and myself with my work. By the time Syri was born, rumors started to spread. I don't know how, maybe one of the hunters saw my hesitation at some point. But the guild had their suspicions, I had to make a choice. I thought it easier to leave, told myself I was doing this to protect them. But it's easier to hurt someone when you don't have to see the pain you've inflicted on them."
KuliKuli sniffed, wiping her face as tears streamed down. She struggled to speak through soft whimpering, biting her tongue to suppress those emotions. "If you left to protect us, then why hunt us down now? Why do you hate us so much?"
"I didn't hate you." He raised his voice, grabbing both sides of his head. "I hated myself. It's easier to slay a mantis or behead a troll then to turn away from the guild. They don't accept anyone, they kidnap you from early adolescence and subject you through these experiments. They call them rituals where little can endure and even fewer survive. Once you're a part of the guild, you're there for life. There's no turning back."
"How does this have to do with you working for him?" Dimyri reminded him.
"He found out about your mother and I." He revealed, leaving the two trading looks. "Said he could look the other way if I helped him. I signed the contract, binding me to aiding him while under the guild's approval. But I didn't anticipate him to take things this far."
He shifted and leaned on his side against the bars, looking between Dimyri and KuliKuli. "I've made too many mistakes now, with no way of undoing them. It doesn't matter what that priest says, I doubt there's any room for redemption for a man who hunted down his children. I'm sorry..."
Hesitant, he stood up with a hand reaching into his belt.
"For everything." Glancing around, he took on nervous step backwards. "I'll keep watch over you two whenever you're stationed at the courtyard. Do what you two do best."
With that, the girls noticed something shining as the sound of metal clinked upon hitting the ground. KuliKuli reached out with her tail, slipping through the bars and retrieving a small instrument.
"I wasn't always absent. I did help your mother when you three were little. And if there's one thing I know about my girls, it's that they were mischievous little troublemakers. So do what you do best." He advised before taking his leave.
Once the door closed shut, Dimyri scooted in close as KuliKuli revealed the item their dad had left them. A thin lockpick glistened under their sights, leaving the two sisters speechless.