The restroom door squeaked lightly behind her, partly left ajar revealing the crumbled bedsheets draped on the floor besides the matress. KuliKuli wanted absolute privacy, her paws gripping the edge of the sink as she hunched over, staring into the reflection ahead. Her mouth hung open, panting audibly with her heart bouncing against her chest. Her fur felt clingy to her skin, sweat running down her forehead as her eyes throbbed with the pulsating pain stemming from the back of her head.

  She coughed and felt her knees wobble and shake, her half-closed eyes noticing a red drip nding on the sink. Her nose was bleeding, her forehead burning, and she struggled to catch her own breath.

  That nightmare, those memories, they all came flooding back. She held her head tight and moaned, reaching back to touch at that sore spot that's haunted her since she first met Felix. It happened again, she was taking a nap to rex when she heard those voices again ringing in her ears.

  It's not working, do it again.

  Father, you're sure of this? Any further can result in-

  I'm aware of the odds, have faith. It'll work. It has too. Run it again.

  If she dies-

  She won't.

  She shook her head in a frantic attempt to shake those memories off, to erase them from her head. Remembering her life as Nityri was one thing, but to recall those nights of... no, they're just nightmares. It was a bad dream, it's not real.

  Emyri's ears perched up at the sound of her daughter grunting and panting. She dropped what she was doing and hurried from the kitchen down the hall, pushing KuliKuli's door open. She was not alone, accompanied by her two girls who expressed the same show of concern.

  "Sweetie? Is everything alright?" She asked, stepping forward and scanning around the messy bedroom. Her eyes widened at the sight of the mattress, badly torn to shreds with a mess of cotton and feathers scattered around. She shut the door behind her, pushing Na'Vi and Syri back and blocking them from the sight.

  "What's wrong?" Syri asked.

  "N~Nothing, she had a-an accident." Emyri giggled, fanning them away. "I'll help her, she needs a mother's touch now shoo!"

  Na'Vi eyed her suspiciously but left with a grumble. Syri seemed more hesitant, her eyes darting back to KuliKuli's door. She was about to protest when Na'Vi tugged at her mom and cocked her head, gesturing for them to leave.

  Emyri waited patiently until they returned to Janette's room, shutting the door. Breathing a sigh of relief, she prepared herself before entering her daughter's room, making sure to lock the door next. She found her hunched at the corner of the restroom, hugging her knees with her eyes shut tight. The sight of blood on the sink made her mother's heart skip, but she saw no further signs of damage on her baby. Instincts kicked in and she bent down, holding her close to her chest, brushing her hair and kissing her head.

  "It'll be okay, Mommy's here." She whispered, letting KuliKuli quietly sob against her bosom. Her ears hung low and her heart sank, but this was what her daughter needed. She held her tight and rocked her back and forth, wiping away her tears. They would sit there for as long as she needed, whatever it took until she felt safe again.

  "How long have you had these nightmares?" Emyri asked softly, stroking her daughters silver hair to straighten out the knots and reduce frizz. Once her episode ended, she rexed and eventually the pair returned to the bedroom to sit.

  KuliKuli's eyes hung down, staring at the ground motionless. "Since I saw him at Kershin Market." She whispered back, her first words since her mother's arrival.

  Emyri sighed, running her paws down her daughter's arms to soothe the tension in her muscles. "Did this happen st night?"

  "No, not then. But the night before." She crified, licking her lips. "I see him, I hear him. I hear their voices."

  "What do they say?"

  She raised her tails, angling them to tap at the back of her head. "About this."

  Emyri parted her hair with care, taking precaution not to hurt her wound. A red gash was revealed to her, a grave wound that hadn't fully recovered. It was like someone wanted to take a look inside her head and hadn't bothered to sew the wound properly. Her shoulders sank as she knew this must've healed wrong after many months. "Felix didn't see this?"

  "He did, we thought it was from the storm." She slowly turned around, sitting cross-legged and facing her. "He did this to me. Opened me up and did something to make me... listen. To make me hear his words."

  She rubbed her fair skin thighs and squeezed them. "You don't need to expin to me. These memories, they hurt you when you remember them? You were bleeding before."

  She nodded back, looking up at her mother with longing in her eyes. "I'm sorry Mom. I know you want me to remember but the more I do, the more it hurts."

  "No-no-no." She cooed, holding onto her paws. "I don't need you to be Nityri again, I love you all the same. More now, after seeing what you've become. You found a good man, made some new friends. My sweet girl is just so full of love that she has to share it with those around her."

  KuliKuli sniffed. "You don't miss me, the old me?"

  She answered by embracing her with wide arms. "You are always going to be my little angel, no matter what happens in our lives."

  KuliKuli smiled, hugging her back.

  The two broke free when a pair of paws came walking down the hallway when they were greeted by Syri at the door. "Hey, they're back!"

  "Oh, that's good." Emyri stood up, brushing her legs. "Though supper isn't quite ready yet."

  "I can help." KuliKuli jumped in with a smile. "If you need any help, that is."

  Emyri grinned. "Sure, why not?"

  Syri went back on her way downstairs, stepping out the front two doors to catch the carriage settling down. The mares huffed and stomped their hooves while Felix politely escorted Dimyri down the steps. The Nekomata moved in to greet them when her nose caught a scent and she recoiled. "Yuck, you two stink!"

  Dimyri hissed. "We know. I need a bath."

  "As do I." Felix chuckled, reaching inside for Janette's satchel. He peaked into the bag. "Tootsie, we're here."

  The little green pixie opened her pitch-bck eyes and yawned, spreading her wings wide. "Mm golly, I was enjoying such a pleasant dream. May I take another?"

  "Take as many naps as you'd like." He ughed, gently carrying the satchel as he walked inside.

  Syri held the door open for them. "You two took a while, it's getting dark."

  "Yea," He turned to her. "How's Jay, she feeling better?"

  "One step at a time. Oh, and Mom and Kuli are cooking supper!" She cheered, cpping her paws together.

  Felix smiled, just being around her was enough to raise his spirits even if he felt tired. She reminded him a lot of KuliKuli when he first met her. Wiping his nose, he entered inside and stretched his arms. "Here, take this satchel over to her. I'm going for a wash."

  "Okay-dokey!" She sung, politely taking the bag from him. She peered inside. "Oh, hey Pixie!"

  "Hi kitty!" Tootsie popped her head out from the satchel and beamed, her wings fluttering with excitement. "Oh my, you sure look happy! A welcome change from the day being so sappy!"

  "I... don't know what that means," She giggled, carefully picking up the pixie in her paw. "Want some supper?"

  "No thanks, I don't mind getting some rest. Look what I can do!" Tootsie beamed, fpping her little wings rapidly as they made a soft buzzing to them.

  "Your wing's looking much better!" Syri smiled back, her tails waving by happily. "This mean you can fly again?"

  "Well, it stings, but we'll see what this brings!" Tootsie answered in response, stroking her bent wing softly. "Won't be long now, it only takes a few days to heal a crooked wing."

  Syri chuckled and shook her head, carrying her upstairs and passing Dimyri on her way. Dimyri waved back at the little pixie before coming back down, her nose sniffing the scent of food coming from the kitchen. She rubbed her tummy and headed their way, finding Emyri and KuliKuli brewing up another stew.

  Felix made his way to the washroom, filling up the tub and stepping into the pool of water. He shivered at the touch but braced himself, sitting waist deep as the cool water enveloped his body. Using a tin bowl, he would scoop up and pour water over his head to wash his hair, his eyes fixated on the surface reflection as the ripples settled back down until he could see himself. After learning from Dimyri about what happened the night Perdilius discovered their home, he had a lot to think about. He gnced further down, counting the numerous cerations scattered around his abdomen and chest. Each scar was an unfortunate reminder about his own past, the beatings he would receive and the tortures he endeared.

  His thoughts were interrupted by the groaning noise of the door parting open as a familiar silhouette stood at the frame. KuliKuli stepped in and waved. "Hey handsome, food is almost ready."

  "I'll be there in just a moment." He replied, staring wide-eyed as she began to disrobe. "Kuli?"

  "It's okay." She purred, pcing her paw against his lips while stepping out of her dress. "My sister warned me that you two were stinky, so I thought I could help you get cleaned."

  He smiled and made some room, watching her slender legs step inside. She sat facing him, locking eyes with each other as she cupped her paws and raised them above water, pouring them over his head.

  "Do you remember the day you gave me my first bath?" She giggled, rubbing her paws over his shoulders.

  "You really didn't want a bath before." He smirked. "You were making a mess."

  "How did you have the patience with me?" She asked, rinsing his body once more.

  "You needed a pce to stay, how could I say no?"

  "It had nothing to do with me drinking your milk?" She teased, her eyes gncing back at him to see his reaction.

  He didn't break away, staring back as he held her paw. "That might have been a small influence, sure."

  "Just a little?"

  "Oh, shut it." Felix ughed, spshing water over her chest.

  "Hey!" She squealed, spshing him back. "You trying to make a mess here too?"

  "Maybe not." He leaned back, scanning around to see the growing puddle of water outside of the tub.

  This time she stood up and stepped behind him, sitting back down to clean his back, He heard her suck in her breath when she scrubbed over some of his scars with finesse, gently dragging her paw pads down and feeling every line. It was something he wondered about months before when he first exposed his body to her, waiting until she asked him how they came to be. But then, it mirrored her situation whenever he brushed along the scar at the back of her skull where he too would remain silent. The two shared a gnced of acknowledgement, neither of them had to share words for they understood what the other had went through.

  Maybe, he thought to himself, maybe that's why they held this bond with each other. Not born out of lust, but shared pain and longing. When he first met her, he feared for his life at the sight of this half feline feminine beast who had broken into his home. Her paws sported these rge sharp cws that could easily tear his skin off with one clean swipe. But she was just as scared of him as he was of her. How could he hurt her, or force her out of his home in the middle of a storm?

  It was then that the question dawned on him that changed his life ever since; how could such a scared, emotional, beautiful woman be considered a monster?

  "Hey," She whispered to his ear, feeling warm as he held her paw and squeezed. "I um, we should probably hurry, or the food will get cold."

  "Yea, we should." He turned around, holding both her paws. The two shared a moment of silence before he broke the gap and pressed his warm lips against hers. She hesitated, surprised at first but receptive when she kissed him back. He could feel her body purring as she held him tight, nuzzling against his chest.

  They didn't escate further, opting to finish washing themselves instead. They may not have shared words of confirmation, but it was clear they would finish this ter tonight as evident by their knowing smiles. They walked out, fully clothed with his hand holding her paw before greeting everyone at the dining table. Supper went well; everyone had something to say and even Tootsie joined to sing a quirky little song that no one could comprehend aside from Janette. Emyri sighed and leaned back, watching her little family grow before her eyes. Their smiles, their ughter, it spread such a heavenly feeling that she had been longing for many years. Watching KuliKuli and Felix be so close filled her with joy.

  For a split second, they reminded her of him.

  "That was surprisingly delicious." Janette admitted, feeling a bit weak in the knees as she clung onto Syri for bance.

  "Easy there, you're not as light as you look." Syri compined, ying her on her bed. She squealed as Janette pulled her down on top of her.

  "Come here, you." She whispered, shocking her with an intimate kiss. Her tails froze still, the Nekomata's eyes wide open before they closed and she succumbed to her touch.

  "Mmm..." Syri pulled back, purring loudly much to Janette's delight. She gasped and hovered away from Janette's chest. "Wait, are you hurt?"

  "Heavens," She rolled her eyes and ughed. "Yes, I am deeply wounded after my little cutie pulled away from me. I'm fine, it stings but not too badly."

  "Sorry." Syri replied in a soft tone, red with embarrassment. "Just want to make sure you're feeling well."

  "Better than ever," Janette answered back. "I'm a few years older than you, I can handle myself. But you're so sweet to be thinking of me."

  Syri smiled and leaned back, cuddling Janette's side. "Can we.., do that again?"

  "Hm?"

  Syri giggled and raised her head, startling her with another kiss.

  Janette smiled back. "More of that, please."

  Syri moved on top of her, her paws pnted on the mattress trapping Janette's head in between. Her green eyes carried this mischievous glint as her lips parted, revealing her fangs. "I did promise you more if you behaved tonight."

  "Lucky me," She smirked back, feeling that warmth between her legs once more. "What do I win?"

  "My heart." Syri mewed, hovering her face close enough that she could feel her breath. "But only if you'll give me yours in return."

  "Come take it." Janette whispered back, closing her eyes as their lips met.