Neko Mother - Chapter 9 - TG, TF

Chapter 9

The pounding in my head was waiting for me when I began to wake up. I felt disoriented, wondering why I was laying on something hard when I had gone to sleep on a soft bed. Then I remembered I had not been in a lab but in the town, getting attacked by guards. That meant the throbbing was from the butt of a gun. Moaning, I moved my hand to my head to dull the pain.

“Big Sis!” I heard Mia's voice. It sounded worried and seemed to echo around me. Opening my eyes, I saw I was lying on a cot inside a cell. The echoing was due to the smooth stone that made up the walls. Why couldn't it have been a wooden cell? At least those didn't echo and every little sound wouldn't make my head split open.

I moaned again, sitting up I saw that Mia was sitting on the bed opposite of mine with a frightened look on her face. I could feel that she was really scared and I instantly wanted to comfort her. Fighting the urge, I asked, “Where are we?”

“The nyumans brought us here after Big Sis was knyocked out.”  She said rocking a little. “They were real meanies to Big Sis and wouldn't let Mia bandage nyour wound until they threw us in here.”

I nodded, which was a mistake. The motion made my head hurt even worse. “Did you hear what they were planning to do to us?”

“Nyo, sowry,” She said sadly, curling up on her bunk with her arms wrapped around her leg and her ear laying flat. “They were just so scared of Big Sis they dumpes nyou in here and ran away, nya.”

She looked really depressed for some reason and the instinct to comfort her returned. Groaning I slid off the bed and went to sit next to her. Putting my arm around her, I pulled her close. She gave me a surprised look before laying her chin back on her knees.

“Back in the market, I was really happy when I found out Big Sis was a Neko like Mia.” She said smiling.

'I AM NOT A NEKO!” I yelled, standing up. I seethed for a moment but the scared look Mia gave me forced me to calm down. “I am not a Neko and I will never be one.”

Mia gave a nod and I sat down again. She cautiously inched her way next to me again and I looked over at her. “What?”

She squirmed under my gaze but turned to me looking me in the eyes, “Out there when the nyumans were going to take Mia away and nyou protected her, Mia was so happy.” She said, then turned away, “But then Big Sis got really angry and started beating up those bad men. Mia just stood there. She couldn't move at all.”

Looking at her face I could see tears begin to fall.

“Mia was just so scared.” She said in between sobs. “Mia was scared of B, Big Sis.”

I felt a pang at her tears. Neko or not she was still crying and I couldn't leave her alone with her pain. Reluctantly I put my arm around her and pulled her against me. She seemed surprised at first then she let go. I started to rub her shoulder trying to calm the shaking as she sobbed into my chest. I don't know how long we  sat there but it must have been for a good while. I just waited until her sobs ebbed before leaning her back so I could look her in the eye.

“You know I wasn't angry at you, right?” She nodded, “Those bad men were trying to hurt you and I lost my temper.”

“So this means that nyou really do want to be Mia's Big Sis?” She said wiping her tears away.

I coughed turning a bright shade of pink, “Well, I wouldn't go that far.” I turned my head away so she couldn't see my blush. The sound of giggles made me look back.

“It is ok if Big Sis won't admit it, nyou will always be Big Sis to Mia.” She curled back up against me, purring with contentment. I blushed again, but let her. Soon, she fell asleep. Gently I placed her head on the cot and crossed the room to the sink. Looking at the mirror I examined my reflection.

My face had changed quite a bit since I had last looked. Although I had never been a beefy man the lines of my face had softened leaving gentle curves and a noticeable blush. Without my hat my ears were clearly visible, even with being the same color as my hair. I tried to get them to lay flat, to at least not be as visible but they would pop right back up whenever a new sound enter the room.

Looking further down my body I knew that soon no amount of baggy clothes would hide the feminine curves that were making themselves known. Even my tail had been struggling to escape the confines I had place on it lately. It now swayed back and forth showing my agitation. Looking back to my eye I locked with my own gaze. At least they had not changed, but I knew it was only a matter of time.

Grabbing the sink, I glared at my reflection, “You are going to beat this.” I began my self affirmation. “You will not become one of them. Now or ever.”

The time passed slowly sitting there in the cell so, after setting Mia's head on the pillow, I got up. The cell was obviously well made. Must have been made pre-Nekos. The walls were stone bricks at least a couple of inches thick, there was no way I was breaking through those and the bars on the door and window were even made with real steel. I concentrated on finding a small imperfection in the molding holding the bars that I could work at.

As I looked for cracks, the sounds I was hearing outside began to change. At first it was distant then it began to move closer to the building. Then a gun was fired close by and all of my attaintion was drawn to the window. Moving quickly, I peered outside to find out was was causing the ruckus.

Outside the sound of people panicking was mixed with the ever increasing tempo of gunfire. Crowds of people were running around in complete chaos with no order to their flight. I knew that whatever it was was coming from multiple locations.

Mia began to stir and I looked at her to tell her about the commotion, when my ears caught a sound that whipped my head back around. There standing in the street was a Neko, her tail thrashing behind her. From the markings I saw she was a Big Sister.

Shit, I swore in my head not daring to make a sound. Other Nekos soon joined her, giggling while chasing down those that were still human. From the looks of it there were two at least more Big Sisters and three Little Sisters in the group and more running through the streets behind them. Shit, shit shit.

One in the middle stood out from the rest, issuing orders to the others. She was obviously the leader of this particular raid and I could swear I had seen her somewhere before. Her face turned to the side, as she directed her battalion of giggling monsters to a girl hiding behind a barrel. It clicked, like a light coming on, I recognized her. It was the Neko Kim that had almost gotten me when I had run away from home. Why was she here? Why would she just happen to show the place I had be captured? This was bad.

A door opened behind us and I whipped around, crouching down, ready to pounce the first person through the door. The man that came running up looked a little worse for wear  
“Hey there,” he said as he fumbled with some keys.

“Hey! Mia knyows nyou.” Mia shouted, I cringed hoping the Nekos outside hadn't heard her. “Nyou are that nyuman that smelled like cats.”

The toy merchant smiled at her and nodded. “Yup and now I am here to bust you out.”

Finally finding the right key he unlocked the door. I stared at him confused. Why was he helping us in the middle of the crisis outside.

“Glad to see that head trauma wasn't fatal. ” he said, waving for us to follow. “Quickly, we don't have much time.”

I hesitated for a minute more, but a scream from outside told me we didn't have much choice in the matter. Nodding, I grabbed Mia's hand and followed him out of the building.
Coming out into the light, I blinked as my eyes adjusted. The scene in front of me was that from a nightmare. People were running around without any rhyme or reason, knocking anything in there path, including each other, over in their panic to attempt escape the invaders. From the smoke on the wind I knew that part of the city was now in flames. My tail lashed with suppressed despair. Most of these people would not make it to see another day, at least not as the people they were.

Our guide was heading down the street away from most of the mayhem. Keeping as low as possible I followed with Mia closely in tow. The screams and cracks of discharged black powder around us were deafening to my sensitive ears but I kept moving knowing there was nothing I could do for them. Why did they even bother with guns anyway? Didn't they know that all it did was stun them? I guess when you are afraid logic takes a holiday. Or maybe it was those last seconds that they were trying for. Either way it was hopeless.

Even with all the noise filling the air I heard Mia let out a whimper. Even though my instincts told me to, I couldn't stop to give her the comfort that she needed. I just kept moving, ignoring the tears that were streaking my face.

A few turns later, our merchant guide came to a stop in front of a dead end filled with boxes. I began to swear, thinking he had taken a wrong turn. He gave me a knowing smile and moved over to a stack of boxes near a wall. He shifted them to the side, revealing a trap door in the pavement. Mia let out an excited yip as he opened the hatch and climbed in. Following him down the hole, I saw it lead to an underground tunnel, which had probably once been part of a sewer system. There were even grate covered openings further down that let in just enough light to keep us from stumbling too much as we made our way through the tight space.

The sounds outside were muffled, but seemed to echo off the walls. I squeezed Mia's hand to comfort her and she returned the favor. As we moved along the grates provided glimpses of what was happening outside. The Nekos had pretty much rounded up most of the citizens into groups, and I could see the Big Sisters starting their task of changing them. One by one the humans were brought to them. The people all looked scared, and some even fought, but they all got kissed in the end. I could see several were already in the final stages of the change, tails and ears sprouting into view where none should have existed. The purring of the new Nekos began to reverberate in our small tunnel.

Nearing the end of the tunnel, I came across a disturbing scene. Stopping, I peered out of the grate. Just a little way from where I stood was a group of kids. They were being guarded by several Little Sisters and one Big Sister. I expected them to start turning them at any second, but it seemed the Big Sister was giving orders to the others. My ears moved to catch what was being said.

“We are to move the kittens as soon as possible, nya.” The Big Sister was saying. “Mother has given special orders to nyot change them.”

The Little Sisters looked as confused as I was. “But why, Big Sister?” They asked looking upset by the orders. A few of the children let out their own distressed noise but for different reasons. “They look like they would make such good sisters, nya. We wanted to play with them so they could be happy like us.”

“I'm sure Mother has a good reason,” the Big Sister replied.

The Little Sisters weren't happy but they turned to the kids and began to usher them towards the gate. A few of the children moved slower then the others, obviously afraid to be separated from their parents. Some of the cat-girls tried to comfort the ones that were crying while their sisters were playing with the kids that didn't know enough to be scared.

A hand on my shoulder brought me out of the trance I was in. I turned to see our guide shaking his head. I unclenched the fist that I didn't even know I had made. Nodding back I turned to Mia and reassured her that I was ok. She gave me an encouraging smile and we continued on.

At the end of the tunnel was a ladder that lead up into a building. Apparently it was near the wall because the sounds of the town were far behind us. Instead of going to the door like I expected the merchant made his way up the stairs that lead to the roof. Cautiously I followed. From the roof I could see the fire had extinguished itself before it had burned too many of the buildings. The sound of the once bustling town folk had now been replaced by the caterwauling of the excited Nekos welcoming new members.

The merchant had moved to the edge of the roof where a board lay against the lip. Positioning it over the ally created by the wall and the building he dropped it into place to create a bridge. He seemed to have a little trouble keeping his balance on his trip over but Mia and I, with our improved balance, moved swiftly across. Once settled on the wall he dropped the plank into the street below, obviously not wanting anyone to know we had been there. A final jump onto some crates near the wall and we were free of the city.
Turning to check that Mia was ok I sighed with relief. “I think we are going to be ok.” Turning back around I was just in time to see a board swinging for my head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It seemed that every time I woke up lately it was to a throbbing headache. Trying to overcome the pain in my head, I slowly opened my eyes. As the blur dissipated I saw that I had been moved into a small shack. It was really dark but I could still see that it must have been abandoned for some time. I tried to move but found I had been bound by a length of rope. Shit. Why do I let myself get into these situations?

Movement from the other side of the room brought my attention to where our guide turned captor was busy tying Mia in the same kinds of bonds as mine. When he was finished he turned back to me. “Ah good you're awake.”

“What the hell do you want from us and why?” I growled through gritted teeth.

“It's not what I can get 'from you' it's what I can get 'For you'.”

“So that's it. You are planning to sell us out, aren't you?!” I accused, my ears and tail standing erect showing my anger. I struggled against my bonds trying to keep my movements small and undetectable. “That is the reason you came for us! You plan to sell us off to the highest bidder!”

“Oh no.” He said with a grin. “There will be no bidding. She has already promised something much more valuable then money.”

I stopped my struggling and looked at him in surprise. “She?!” He froze in place and I knew that he had just let something crucial slip. “Just who are you taking us to?”

“Why the one and only person that can bring true peace and happiness to the entire world.”
My face bleached as it hit me. “Mother? You were planing to take us to MOTHER?!”

He stared at me like I was an idiot for only figuring it out now and nodded. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This person was WILLINGLY working with the Nekos. Did he know how that would end for him? Another realization hit me like a bolt. It all made sense, the cat toys, the Neko attack, him “saving” us. “You let the Nekos into the town. You WANT to be turned don't you?”

He nodded again this time flashing a sadistic smile. “Why not? They are the top of the evolutionary chain. The ultimate beings.”

Rage started to overcome me. How could someone be that stupid? “They strip you of everything you are.” I yelled trying to bring him to his senses. “You will be nothing but a mindless thrall.”

“Better to be mindless than the cruel, uncaring beast humanity has become.” His own eyes burned. “They would never torture one of their own because they happened to own a cat and refused to kill it.” He grabbed his right arm. The action caused his shirt to pull up revealing a mess of scares marking the skin underneath. He must have seen my reaction because he gave a weak laugh. “But that is all in the past now. Now that I have you or didn't you know that Mother has put a bounty on your head.”

Surprise made me flinch and he laughed even more.

“Yes, it is all the Neko talk about. I was just lucky enough to hear them as I lay near dead amongst the garbage. You see while my tormentors had been disposing of me and laughing all the while they hadn't noticed the cats in the shadows. At the time I was too weak to call out to the Nekos but I could still hear them. It seems Mother wants you personally.” He came over to where I lay and looked down on me with that insane smile on his face. “Now that I have you I just know she will be so grateful that she'll make me a Big Sister.”

Knowing there was no getting through to him, I nodded to Mia. She saw and charged at him from behind. They tumbled to the ground and rolled across the room. Arms still bound, I jumped to my feet and ran over to where he was getting to his knees, trying to regain his footing. A swift kick to the gut had him gasping for breath, clutching his stomach. A second kick to the head knocked him clean out.

Gasping for breath, I stood over his prone figure. I used a loose nail in the wall to cut the rope, then went over to free Mia. She stared at the man on the floor and I could tell she was scared.

“Is he dead, nya?”

Going over to check I replied, “He is still breathing so he is still alive at least.” The sound of Mia crying made me wheel around. “Don't worry I wouldn't have let him hurt you.”

“That is nyot it.” She said through the tears, “Do you really see Mia as some mindless monster, nya?”

I was shocked by the question. Did I still see her as a monster? Certainly when we first met I had thought her to be like the others of her kind, but as we traveled something had changed.

“No. I don't see you as a monster.” I said turning away to hide my embarrassment. “You are different than them.” She gave a giggle that just brought even more red to my face.

A moan from the floor told me the guy was waking up. I grabbed him by the collar “Where were those Nekos taking those kids.”

He looked up at me, not quite understanding what I had said before replying, “All the children that have been captured and not turned are taken to Mother directly.”

“And where is she?” I asked bringing my fist up, ready to knock the information out of him.

“To the city the Neko have claimed for their own. It is about a days walk to the North West.” He said pointing out the door.

I dropped him and backed away as mortification filled me. My face must have paled because I heard Mia ask, “Are nyou ok, Big Sis?” Mia looked at me with concern in her eyes.

I didn't reply right away. I knew what he was telling me but it couldn't be true. There was only one city in that direction. One city that I always knew where it was. Slowly, I controlled myself enough to answer, “Mia, I have to go home.”