Neko Mother - Chapter 4 - TG, TF

Chapter 4

“God I miss my backpack.” I muttered. It had been three days since I had had a decent meal. You would think that in a forest this size, there would be more to eat, but there had been bad weather threatening for the last week so all the game was staying on alert for any intruders to their territory. I was no master hunter, what with sticking mainly to scavenging the cities, so without a gun or at least a bow, my options were extremely limited. I had managed to catch a squirrel in a makeshift trap, but the other animals had been a bit more cautious. The few berries and edible plants I had been able to find along the path had provided for the rest of my meals, but my stomach was still growling. I knew the next town was about a day's walk away, but without anything to trade I couldn't even get a glass of water, damn scalpers. I would have to scrounge for food or something I could trade before I went in.  
With only a few hours of daylight left, I began to look for a good hiding place to spend the night. Although the Nekos kept mainly to the city ruins, it was not unheard of to run into them on the roads in between. It was a very bad idea to set up a camp out in the open where they could come upon you in the dark. You would be turned before you even woke up enough to scream.
Working my way down the road, I was lucky enough to find an old gas station. It was run down, of course, but it had a roof and four walls and enough cover that any light within wouldn't be easily seen from the street, so in my book it was a palace. I approached cautiously, knowing that, since this was a perfect spot for me to hole up, others might have found it to be the same. People that might not be keen on sharing it.
A good look around told me that, not only was there nobody the outside, but also there was a water catcher in the back that held relatively clean water. Going inside, I found it to be really dark. The sunlight coming in from the front windows provided just enough light to verify that no one was inside either. Relaxing a little, I began to search the shelves for some food. Unfortunately, all I found were some Twinkies under a turned over case . They tasted horrible and stale (guess the rumor of them surviving a nuclear war were a bit off) but any food was better than none. Afterwards, it was too dark to do anything more for the night, so I set up some cans near the door as an early warning system and found the softest piece of ground to tried to go to sleep. In my current state of exhaustion it didn't take me more than a couple of minutes to fall into a dreamless state.
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I woke up the next morning to the sun shining in my eyes. This was unusual, I normally would have woken before the sun rose of habit. I guess the combination of walking and lack of food really took it out of me. Uncurling myself, I stretched out the kinks the hard floor had left in my body. Eating the last of the stale Twinkies then putting on my hat, I moved out.
It was another quiet day, but at least the weather looked better. Maybe today I would be able to catch something bigger than a squirrel to eat, but that would take time. Time I could be using to get to the next city. It was a toss up as to which plan would be more beneficial. After a little debate, I decided getting to the city would be the best bet, since scrounging was my better skill than hunting. I picked up the pace, ignoring the empty space in my stomach, hoping to get there in time for a bit of spelunking.
It was mid afternoon when I got to the city, quicker than I thought I would. That gave me plenty of time to have a look around. As per usual, I started with the most likely prospect, the grocer. It held quite a few cans of beans and tuna, but these things were common enough to not be very profitable. With my diminished carrying capacity I decided to take two cans just in case I couldn't find anything that could get me something better to eat. I continued on like this for hours until dusk began to fall. The few scraps I was able to carry on my person would be able to get me a bed inside the walls for the night, but not much else. Maybe if I haggled well enough I could get some watery soup. Disgruntled, I headed in the direction I had seen the walls.
Along the way I ran into something that made me curious: a campsite. Who would be stupid enough to camp outside the wall when the Nekos were out in full force? Seeing the site was well stocked, I was tempted to take a bit, but I was no thief. Looking around to see if anyone was around, I saw a half empty box of cookies sitting on a ledge near the fire pit. My stomach gave another rumble. It had been a long time since breakfast. I was torn between my morals and hunger. In the end, hunger won out. I practically inhaled the cookies in my hurry to get as much food in my stomach as quickly as possible.
When they were gone I felt a little guilty. Turning away something caught my eye. I moved into the camp to get a closer look. There was no mistaking it: sitting in next to the sleeping bag sat my backpack. How the hell had it gotten here? I was about to pick it up when the sound of shifting rubble startled me. I stayed very still for a minute until I heard another rock being knocked across concrete. It was closer than the last and I knew that whatever was out there was coming my way. Moving quickly but quietly, I found the place that would provide the best cover just in time as someone came into the camp.
Peering out from my hiding place, I swore under my breath. Standing in the middle of the campsite was a Neko, and I could have sworn that I had seen her before. Now I knew how my backpack had gotten here, I just needed to know why she was following me.
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Mia came back to her camp feeling really refreshed. She had just taken a bath in the nicest pool and for once the water hadn't been cold, thanks to a excellently place sunbeam. All through her bath, she had been dreaming about the box of yummy cookies she had waiting for her afterward. Making a beeline for the box, she was shocked to find it empty.
At first, she was saddened by the sight, her ears laying flat against her head and a pout on her lips, but just as quickly her mood flipped into rage. She crouched on all fours, scanning the clearing and the rubble that kept it hidden.
“OK!” she practically hissed, “Who's the meany mean-pants who ate all my yummy snacks?!”
She knew she hadn't been gone long enough for the culprit to have gotten very far. Oh, what she was going to do to whoever had eaten her precious snacks. Her eyes feel on a wall nearby where her sensitive ears told her that something fairly large was trying to keep its breathing silent. It was too big to be a rodent or other scavenger, so Mia knew that it must be the breath of a two-legged crook.
“ I hear you, you cookie thief!” she said, tail in the air, ready to pounce on the hidden enemy and snack stealer.
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My heartbeat, already pounding in my ears, quickly doubled its pace. Even at a glance, I knew there was no escape for me; not without being seen and, as I had seen on many occasions, even the slowest Neko was faster than the quickest human. Still, I was not one to give up, so picking the most likely escape route, I sprinted out. As soon as I did, I heard her pounce. The only thing that saved me in that instant was a hole in the road that made me trip, messing up her trajectory. She passed right in front of me, missing me by inches. Taking the opportunity that her recovery afforded me, I dodged into a broken building, weaving between piles of rubble and climbing over broken walls. It didn't take long before I heard her in pursuit. The growls and nyas told me she was quite aggravated. That couldn't be possible: the most Nekos got was miffed. She sounded downright mad. I tripped over some rocks in my way, costing me seconds. Swearing, I focused on running again, other thoughts would just get me caught.
Outrunning her was folly so I adopted a strategy to lose her in the ruins, weaving in and out of as many tight spaces as possible. It seemed to work as the sounds of pursuit became fainter until I could not hear anymore. Knowing that, just because I couldn't hear her, didn't mean she wasn't there, I decided to go on a little more, although I did slow my pace just a little. After a good while, I felt my sides burning, telling me that I would have to stop soon or risk falling flat on my face. Spotting an old cafe that was mostly intact, I ducked inside and took a crouching position behind the counter. The holes in the ceiling let me see that outside the sun had moved on into evening. I would have to get to the town soon or risk being locked outside the gate for the night. First of course, I would have to make sure I had really lost that Neko. My breath slowing to a manageable state, I stood up, ready to venture out to make sure. That is, until a rock fell down from the hole above me.
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Mia was surprised just how fast this human was. She was sure that she should have been faster than him but he kept changing his course so she had to slow down to follow. After a while, she began to see that the pursuit was going to take too much effort this way. An idea came to her and she fell back, giving him more of a lead. She could still hear him running ahead of her, so tracking him was no problem. Coming to another building, she used a garbage can to jump onto the roof, still keeping her distance from him. She jumped from one decrepit building to the next, keeping herself hidden and trying her hardest to not cause anything to collapse, giving away the fact that he was still being followed.  He must have decided that he had lost her, because he had slowed down. Mia gave a giggle to herself at his folly: no human was going to escape her, especially when that human had stolen her precious snacks.
Still following him while keeping herself hidden, she soon saw him begin to tire and look for a place to take a break. Mia watched as he entered a building with an old sign in the shape of a cup hanging off its struts. She made an extra effort to land on the ceiling as quietly as possible. The holes in the roof gave her a perfect view as he crouched behind the counter, clutching his side and taking deep breaths. From her position, she knew that it was possible to tackle him, but the jump would be a little tricky with him behind cover. She would have to wait until he stood up. She went into the pouncing stance, waiting for her moment. It didn't take long before he was ready to venture out of hiding again. As soon as he stood up Mia launched herself, knocking several rocks over the edge.
Mia's aim was spot on and she landed right on top of him, knocking him to the floor with her full on his chest. “Got nyou nyow, meanie nyuman!” she yelled, the human cowering in fear beneath her. She glared at him for a minute as she tried to figure out what she was going to do with him.
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I sat there with my eyes closed, waiting for her to finish me off. When nothing happened, I blinked them open. She was still there, but her expression did not have the self-satisfaction that I had expected. Instead, she looked like she was trying the control a pout.
“I was looking forward to those cookies all day, nya.” She said, she was definably pouting now. “Why did nyou have to take Mia's snyacks?”
I looked at her questioningly, “A-aren't you gonna kiss me?” I asked, pushing my luck.
“Why would I kiss a meanie like nyou who goes around stealing others snyacks?” She said down heavily on my chest, crossing her legs, glaring at me. Man her emotions changed quickly.
“Because that what you Nekos do.” I tried to figure out why I was still human. “You kiss us and we turn into one of you.”
“Nekos? You mean the other kitties like Mia? I have seen them playing with the nyumans before. It looked like fun but Mia didn't join in. Mia has a much more important mission, nya.”
Confused all over again, my mouth worked before my brain could stop it, “What mission could a Neko be on? You guys have the attention span of a gnat.” I cringed as the words left my lips, knowing that I had just signed my own sentencing.
Expecting her to get mad, I was surprised when she started to pout again. “But Mia does have a mission. Mia has to find Big Sis.”
“If you are looking for a Big Sister, shouldn't you go to the other Nekos?” I asked, trying to keep her talking while I inched to a place I could dump her off and make a run for it. “They could take you right to one if you asked them.”
“Mia is not looking for A Big Sister.” She said trying to explain. “Mia is looking for Big Sis.”
“Ok.” I said, not seeing the difference. I had almost made it to a suitable spot near the door.
“Nya. And Mia knows that she is nearby. Mia even found Big Sis' backpack, and when Mia returns it to her she will be so happy that she will give Mia lots of pets.” She said with a dreamy smile on her face.
I froze. Looking up at her I had to ask, “You mean that bag back at the camp belongs to your Big Sis?”
“Nya-huh.”
“But that is impossible,” I said in disbelief. “That bag is mine.”
She looked at me, confused for a second before she glared at me, bringing her face close to mine. “It is nyot nice to lie,” She said. “That bag belongs to Big Sis because it has her scent on it.” She sniffed at me in a huff. Stopping, she sniffed again. And again. She sat back with another confused look. I could have sworn she was trying to figure something out. Just when I was about to try and move again she smiled and threw arms around me in a hug. “BIG SIS!” She shouted. “I FINALLY FOUND NYOU!”
“Woah!” Shocked by the sudden embrace, all I could do was try to get my brain working again. “What do you mean? I can't be your Big Sis!”
“But nyou are my Big Sis.” She said, finally releasing me. “You smell like Mia's Big Sis, so you have to be Mia's Big Sis, because Mia's nose is nyever wrong.” She seemed quite proud to be able to follow that path of logic that had me reeling.
“Look, I don't care who you think I am, but if you are not going to change me, then I am going to be on my way,” I said, pulling myself out from under her.
“Good, then Mia will come with you.”
I stared at her for a moment, not comprehending what she was saying, then “Oh no you're not!” I exclaimed. “Your kind are the ones that destroyed this world and made it so I am...” I cut myself off before I said any more. She looked at me questioningly. I cleared my throat before continuing, “Besides, you are too dangerous to have around.”
“But Mia has spent so much time looking for nyou,” she said, tears beginning to form. “Mia doesn't knyow what she will do if she loses nyou again.”
I could feel my will begin to weaken in the face of her tears. I never could stand to see anyone cry. I could feel the other instincts begin to surface as well, so it made it even harder to walk away. After a second, I gave in. “Fine.” I said, defeated. “But you will stay at least five feet away from me at all times, and no more hugging.”
The tears instantly dried as she started to dance around, making happy meowing noises. Rolling my eyes, I looked around for the first time in a while. “Shit!” I swore. Night had set in and there was no way the gates were going to be open this late.
“What is wrong?” she asked, bringing her face close to mine, already breaking the five foot rule.
“The gates are already closed for the night,” I explained, not sure if she would understand.
“Then nyou can use my camp,” she offered. That reminded me that she had had my pack. Since there was not really a better option, I agreed, reminding her to keep her distance.
Making it back to her camp, I was surprised to see that it was about as secure as sleeping outside could be, with plenty of cover and rubble around so no one could sneak up on me. I went to my bag, giving it a look over. Coming over to look as well, Mia stated, “Mia brought that from where Big Sis left it back at the last dwelling.” She leaned towards me. It looked like she expected something of me. Shrugging, I went back to checking my pack. She gave a little whimper then settled back and watched me. Going through what was in the bag, I swore a little when I saw just how much was missing. Almost all the food that I had gotten from the fence was gone, probably eaten by her, as well as some of the valuable trade goods I had been keeping for the right trade. Instead, I found weird items like a shiny stone and a mostly intact stuffed mouse.
“Where is all the stuff that I had in here?” I asked, looking back at her.
“Mia got rid of that stuff, nya. It tasted yucky.” She answered.
Grumbling, I tossed out the junk (she caught the mouse before it got too far) and moved on to the outer pockets. Opening the last of them I found the batteries. At least those were still there. With those I could get back most of the things I had lost. Packing it back up, I grabbed the sleeping bag that was rolled up on top.
“Now I am going to sleep,” I informed her. “You do whatever it is you do as long as you don't wake me.”
“Nya!” she replied.
Curling up inside the bag, I waited for sleep. I could hear her moving around for a while before she settled down. Feeling my eyes shut, I drifted off.