The scream cut off with a sharp clang.
Wincing at the ugly sound, I threw myself out of the bed. The movement sent Skye tumbling. She made a gurgle of protest but still managed to keep her grip on the sheet.
Shadowpaw whipped out of the bathroom, her eyes finding mine as she finished tugging on a tshirt. The tshirt was faded. An old metal band's tour shirt. Still dazed, a part of my brain thought the shirt might have been older than she was. "What was that?"
"I don't know," I hissed, grabbing the gun she'd given Licorice the day before. I tossed it to her, as I didn't really need it.
Her hand curled around the butt as she flicked the safety off.
I led the way, driven by my fear of what might have happened to Licorice. But I knew the scream wasn't hers. I would have known if it had been.
Bursting into the kitchen, I raised my hand ready to cast Furball, but froze.
Licorice stood in the middle of the kitchen, dressed only in her panties. They were very cute panties with pale pink flowers on them. Almost as pink as her nipples. I wanted to stare at them to really absorb their memory, but I had more important matters on my mind.
Not that much more important. Just a smidge. Just enough for me to take notice of everything else first. After that, I promised to get a good long look at her panties. After all, there's very little in the world which can be more important than a cute Neko in her underwear.
Her shoulders were bunched forward and a saucepan clutched in her little fists. She looked like she'd just been caught doing something very naughty indeed.
On the floor in front of her was the slumped form of a woman which gave evidence as to both why the scream ended abruptly and why Licorice was holding a saucepan.
I didn't need to be a mathematician to put two and two together on this one.
I crouched beside the woman and pushed her hair out of her closed eyes. She was about Licorice's age. Maybe a little younger, but not by much.
Almost as pretty. There was some good Neko potential, for sure.
The lump forming on her forehead looked nasty, though.
I glanced up at Licorice, who was trembling. "Do you know her?"
"It's Susan," she stammered. "My cousin Susan. I don't know why she's here, but she saw me. She saw my tail and ears and started screaming. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hit her, but I didn't know how to calm her down!"
"Well, the saucepan was a good start," Shadowpaw said, lowering the gun. "Was she alone?"
"I think so."
"I'll take a look around anyway," Shadowpaw said, heading to the back door.
"Be careful,' I called. Then turned to Licorice. "Can you get some ice, please? She'll need it for her head."
"Yes, of course," Licorice squeaked, dropping the saucepan on the counter and dashing toward the fridge. "I can't believe I just hit Susan! She'll be so angry with me…"
I lifted the unconscious woman and carried her to the sofa. I sat her down in it, lifting her head so I could get a good look at her forehead where the lump was turning a dark shade already.
"You really got her good," I said as Licorice returned with ice wrapped in a tea towel.
"I wasn't thinking," she whimpered. "I was just so shocked to see her."
"What's going on?" Skye emerged, still naked. "It's so noisy."
"We've got a visitor," I told her. "She's Licorice's cousin."
"They've found us already?"
"I doubt it. I think if they had, it'd be police knocking on the door, not a cousin."
"I guess so," Skye said, yawning. She stumbled back into the hall. "I'm gonna use the shower."
"Master?" Licorice held the ice against her cousin's forehead. "Will she be okay?"
"I think so. Just keep the ice on her."
"She's really nice, you know," Licorice said hopefully. "You'll like her."
"We'll see."
Shadowpaw returned without a sound. Rogue stealth ability really was amazing, and I reminded myself to check the Neko Management Workshop later to see if there had been any improvements in her skill levels.
"Seems clear," she said, crouching down beside me. "You sure you hit her with that itty bitty saucepan, Licorice? It looks more like you ran over her with a truck."
I shuddered, remembering the time a truck had sent me careening into Neyteria. I hadn't been spared the pain of the initial impact.
"It wasn't intentional," Licorice sighed, still holding the ice to her cousin's head. Water was dripping down Susan's cheeks. Down her neck. Into her cleavage. I tried not to follow the liquid path with my eyes, but it wasn't easy. "I didn't mean to hit her this hard."
"It's your Neko Strength," I told her. "Like me, you all have stats. Your stats, even at zero, make you stronger and faster than an average human."
"Our Stamina clearly doesn't," Shadowpaw sighed. "Even I couldn't keep up with you last night, Master."
I patted her head with a chuckle. "I'm afraid that doesn't improve. Stamina doesn't seem to advance very quickly with Nekos. I think it's the cat genes. Most of you prefer to sleep more than exercise for long periods."
"I do feel like I could go back to bed," Shadowpaw admitted, her eyes a little glazed. "But I thought it was just from what you did to me. You really tired me out, Master…"
"Me too," Licorice said.
Licorice's cousin suddenly moaned, drawing our attention. Her fingers spasmed.
"I think she might be coming round," I said, standing up and taking a step back so she didn't think I was trying to do anything to her while she was unconscious. A strange man leaning over you never inspired much in the way of reassurance.
From experience, I knew anything out of the ordinary could trigger a bout of anxiety on waking from having your head almost smashed open.
And that anxiety could turn to violence.
Or more shrieking.
Either way, not a pleasant experience for anyone.
"Susan?" Licorice leaned in close as the woman's eyes started fluttering. "Susan, are you okay, sweetie? Tell me you're okay…"
"S-S-Sally?" Her voice was weak.
Licorice hugged her cousin. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you! I was just so scared!"
"Sally!" The woman groaned as she went rigid under Licorice's hug. "You've got ears!"
"I know!"
"Cat ears! And they're real!"
"I know!"
"And a tail!"
"Yes! I know!"
The woman's eyes finally focussed as her gaze found me. I lifted a hand in greeting. It was meant to be a calming and non-threatening gesture to inspire peace and trustworthiness. I wasn't sure it worked as her eyes widened and she began to panic.
"You!" She let out in a strangled gasp. "You're naked!"
"I am," I confirmed. I had long ago lost the ability to feel ashamed of my body. Being surrounded by lust-crazed Nekos will do that to you. Having said that, I wasn't naked on purpose. "I'm afraid you woke me with your screaming and I haven't had time to get dressed yet."
"I'll go get you some pants, Master," Shadowpaw snickered, wheeling away and heading down the hall.
"You took a nasty blow to the head, young lady." I leaned over the shocked woman and held up my hand again. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
She goggled at my exposed parts. "You're really naked!"
"Okay, if you're focussed in that direction so firmly... How many penises do I have?"
"What?"
"It's okay, Susan," Licorice said, gently stroking her cousin's hair while holding this ice firm against her forehead. "It's alright. You're safe. I promise. Master won't hurt you. He's really nice. You'll like him."
"What?"
"Just calm down," Licorice cooed. "Everything is okay."
"She called you Master." Susan's eyes shot back to me. "And her face… It's different! Everything about her is different! What did you do to her? Did you make her like this?"
"I freed her, yes." I sat on the coffee table in front of her. "You're not going to start screaming again, are you?"
The woman shoved Licorice away, her eyes wild as she struggled to stand. Then she doubled over, enveloped by a wave of nausea. Getting hit in the head by a saucepan wielded by a frightened Neko will leave you a bit unsteady for a while if your stats weren't high enough.
"Let me go," she growled weakly. "I need to… I need to…"
"You need to do nothing," I told her. "I'm sure your head hurts. Let's take care of it first. You were hit fairly hard, you know."
"Which I'm really sorry for," Licorice said, giving the woman room. She looked almost ready to cry. "I understand if you hate me now."
"Hate you?" The woman looked surprised by the thought. "I don't hate you. I don't even know you. You're not Sally!"
"You're right," my Neko said. Her voice trembled, and I wanted to reach out and hug her. Instead, I gently patted her head as she sighed. "My name is Licorice now. I'm a Neko. Master freed me. And I'm really very happy, Susan. It was the best thing that's ever happened to me. You'd be happy for me, too, if you let me explain and tried to understand."
"Freed you? It looks more like he's brainwashed you!" She moaned again as she once more tried to pull herself to her feet.
Licorice gently pushed her back down on the sofa and held the ice out to return it to her forehead.
Stunned, Susan didn't fight back.
"No, he didn't," she said. "If I was brainwashed, then I was brainwashed before my Master freed me. I remember what I was like. I remember so clearly. I felt like I was always in a cage. I wasn't able to say what I wanted. I couldn't do what I wanted. I couldn't even breathe, it felt like. Everything was so hard. But when… When Master freed me, I truly felt like everything was stripped away. All my cares. All my worries. I mean, sure I worry now, but they're different worries. They're worries about not burning the eggs. Or making sure my hair is dry before bed. Little worries."
Susan looked from Licorice to me, then back again. Horror etched in her face.
I'd seen that expression many times on those who couldn't understand why Nekos were like they were. They couldn't understand it because what they were hearing just didn't make any sense.
The problem with living in a cage all your life is you soon forget about the bars. You imagine yourself free in the cramped little world you're contained in. You believe the cage is protective rather than oppressive.
Seeing someone walking around without a cage scares you.
It worries you in a deeply primal way.
As though no sentient being should be naturally happy. Happiness, you think, is something which should be earned. Not a normal state of being.
"Please," Susan pleaded, reaching a hand out towards me. "Let us go. We'll leave and I won't tell anyone you're here."
"Susan," Licorice hugged her cousin and sighed. "Susan, darling, I love you so much, you know. Remember when we were little and we'd swim in the lake together outside? Remember how, at first, you were scared there were sharks, even though it's a lake? And I told you it was safe, but you didn't believe me. Remember? You were terrified of the water."
"We were kids," Susan scoffed. "This is different!"
"Is it?"
"Yes! Listen to you! He's obviously brainwashed you. And how… How did you get ears and a tail?"
"I told you. I was freed." Licorice cupped her cousin's cheeks in her hand and stared intently into her eyes. "Now, Susan. Listen to me. When you were scared, who was it who helped you get over that fear? Who was it who showed you there were no sharks in the lake?"
"Y-You did."
"Right. And was I right?"
"Huh?"
"That there were no sharks in the lake. Was I right?"
"Yes, but-"
"So. I knew better then, and I know better now."
"That's not how it works!"
"Yes. It is." Licorice glanced at me, smiled impishly, then turned back to her cousin and leaned in close. "So, tell us. Because I'm dying to know. Tell us what name you want."
Sally gave her cousin a deeply puzzled look. "What?"