Monster Girls Book 1: A Tale of Tails! Chapter 112: Catatonia

"You! Aaah!" KuliKuli felt a pulsating pain in her cranium, beating heavily enough to rival her panicked heart. Imdiately she fell to her knees, crumpled up in a pathetic state as she could do nothing but hold her head to prevent it from bursting. The sounds and pleas of her friends and family screaming beside her turned into a deafening ringing that silenced everything around her. Her sight of Felix asking her what's happening, helplessly watching her undergo this change soon beca a clotted vision of black and red. She was shaking heavily, her limbs spasming and twitching, her tails erratic and thrashing, the fur on her body standing up on edge like quills.

Poor Felix stayed by KuliKuli's side, cradling her in his arms and rocking her through this process. It was all he could do, just holding her in his arms proved dangerous as her exposed claws nicked and cut at his chest incidentally. He refused to budge, kissing her forehead and brushing her hair in that familiar petting that would leave her purring herself to sleep in his arms before. But when he looked around her with eyes pleading for help, he was t with the sight of her siblings stepping back in fear.

Na'Vi fell beside her, mouth agape with terrified eyes, her voice depleted into a staggering ss of denial. "No, n-no."

"What's wrong? Why aren't you helping her?" He asked with a shaky voice, holding his breath as a shadow fell upon them. Emyri had swept in from above, falling back into the pit to quickly co to the aid of her daughter. She fell to one knee and locked eyes with him, placing her paw over his head.

She offered no words of comfort, no answer to his pleading. Though her daughters stayed back, Emyri leaned in and embraced KuliKuli from behind. She would rest her chin over KuliKuli's shoulder, whispering a soothing lody into her ear. Felix found himself staring at first, but a glance from the Nekomata was enough to remind him to continue comforting her daughter once more.

KuliKuli was a red-faced ss, feeling her sweat pour down her face like raindrops as she shook her head back and forth. Though she squeezed her eyes shut, she could not prevent the flashes of vivid imagery erging in her mind, each introducing a stronger emotional pull from her erratic state. Just his voice alone brought her to her knees as she found herself living through contorted visions in her mind, twisted and tainted yet eerily familiar. The mory of herself on all fours, staring hungrily at a sickened mouse dropped into her cell, her stomach growling and lurching with a desire to satiate its week-long hunger. Another sight, this ti she was peering through the cell bars, her cat ears picking up every sloppy sound of sothing sticky and wet as she watched a large man, hunched over and feverishly sawing away at sothing out of her view.

A new mory with KuliKuli chained down with a rusted contraption forced around her neck, with each attempt to lash and contort her body to pry away from her restraints being t with a prod or poke of a dagger into her ribs and under her arms. Her body would relive each and every mory, but it was then that the voices of her mother were heard. Her soothing lody would make the images lt away, awakening her as she looked up from the arms of her mother and the embrace of her mate. Though Felix looked relieved, Emyri seed painfully familiar of what her daughter had just recovered from with a painful look of sorrow and acceptance.

"What just happened?" Felix asked, turning to Emyri for answers.

Emyri rely gazed above him, with Felix following her line of sight to find Perdilius standing at the ledge with a proud grin.

"Remarkable, the wounds have taken their toll. Yet the effect has kept hold despite its months of absence. Gods above, thy blesses with this discovery today." He pressed his hands together in a prayer, leaning over as his eyes wandered from one cat girl to the next. "For the journey is near its end, thy beasts within my grasp. Co, let thy voice be heard. Sing, sing, co sing with . Let thy song run far and high. May the gods hear thy song, so that they may fill my heart with love."

KuliKuli began to raise her head slowly, hesitant as she t Felix's eyes as they begged her not to look up. She caressed his face to comfort him, but her eyes continued to wander until she found Perdilius. Though her body had composed itself, she was left feeling fatigued and sore as she clung unto Felix's arms to keep herself from collapsing. With how her nostrils flared and her claws would extract themselves fully, she had to concentrate on combating the lingering sense of dread which caused her survival instincts to overexert as if she were on a life-or-death situation.

She carried on, refusing to look away from this man haunting her hidden mories as she faced her fears.

Perdilius turned to acknowledge Syri with a subtle bow of his head. "Aah, the youngest of the three. I was much surprised to learn how difficult thou proveth to be for my n to catch you. A Monster Hunter was effective, but alas he too underestimated the combined forces of your lot working as one."

He narrowed his eyes as he spotted the fairy in Syri's paws. "That creature, to learn that even a fairy aligns herself with monsters is a discovery most disheartening. Feeble, yet disappointing, nonetheless. Why do you choose to struggle, why insist to run when thou must know that this is for the best."

"What are you talking about?" Felix cried out, helping KuliKuli into her mother's arms as he stood up to face the priest. "What the hells do you want with us? Just leave us alone, they did nothing against you!"

"Oh dear, the lost child has chosen to align himself with the beast." Perdilius shook his head, keeping his hands locked behind his back. "Fear not, for there is still ti for you to be saved."

"The only saving we need is from you." Felix replied shortly. "Why are you so keen on hunting them down, is it out of sport? Or so twisted thod of initiation?"

"I care not for sport, nor do I have need to prove my worth. I do this out of obligation, you wouldn't understand." Perdilius narrowed his eyes, pointing his finger to KuliKuli. "You have sothing of mine, I've co to collect it. That and its two siblings, they will be needed."

"Why, what for?"

"Honestly, would it matter what reason I have to offer? Would you even believe , let alone comprehend my actions?"

Felix grimaced in return, feeling the corner of his upper lip twitch in a snarl. "Maybe not, but so answers would be nice."

As she stood back and watched, Syri raised the fairy in her paw and leaned in to whisper. "Any chance you could do your little dance to get us out of here?"

Tootsie shook her head. "My magic works not in such way, and my dance takes ti before I can kick my legs once more. Oh!"

Syri followed the fairy's sight, discovering one of the council mbers watching them from beyond the broken gates. It was Alphonse who stood in silence, surrounded by four city guards wielding swords with two n on his side kneeling down, eyes squinting as they kept their crossbows ready to fire. But as the Nekomata's heart skipped, she watched as Alphone slowly put his hands over the two archers, silently gesturing for them to refrain.

Emyri reached out with her tails tugging at Felix's leg. "It's no use speaking to him, you won't change his mind."

"That may be, but I'm tired of wondering what caused this to start." He turned around to her. "He won't stop for this, will he? Forever persistent until he succeeds or dies trying."

"Would you ask for nothing less?" He replied with a look of sincerity, spreading his arms wide. "I am but a humble man who has placed my faith on the gods above, and they in turn guide my hand. I've co here to change the world by righting the wrongs of our species, and it all starts with the retrieval of those three. Simply surrender them to and you will be spared, allowed to live your life as you so wish. Think of it as a second chance of resolving your sins by doing what's right and resisting her seductive ways."

Felix scoffed in disgust. "The last guy offered sothing similar, only he said I could join her."

"But I've no need for you, you hold no importance to my plans." He exclaid with a look of indifference. "You could keel over and die for all I care, it matters not. It is not beyond to forgive all sinners as are my duties as a man of the faith, such oath extends even to you. You are not the first I've t who fell victim to these things."

"To what?" Felix stamred, baffled by his claims.

"Oh yes, you think you're the first? I've known dozens of ill-fated n who fell head over heels for forbidden temptresses like them. Monster girls, bah! They take what they can and throw away their mates like trash. You think what, that you've fallen in love with a creature like that? They're monsters, malicious twisted harlots with a devilish talent of reproducing with most humanoid species."

He paused, glancing between each Nekomata and studying their scowls and seething faces.

"Co now, don't look at like that. We all know how this ends. I've captured most of your clutter by now, what makes you think you're special? That you can sohow get away? It was easy too, thanks to my Nityri here."

KuliKuli's head twitched with her wincing as Emryi kept her safe in her arms. Her eyes shot open at the ntion of her past na.

"What do you plan to do now that you find yourselves here? You've made enemies of Kershin Market, this is no longer a safe haven for you to hide your furry hides in. I've hardly a need to risk my n when the cities defenses are so keen to assist in my endeavors. Even if you were to run out that gate, what would you do about your cursed wolf there? Would you resort to abandoning her?"

"No!" Felix was startled by that voice as he spun around to see KuliKuli separate from Emyri.

"No, we're not leaving her here!" She yelled out.

Perdilius smiled playfully. "So what, then? Carry her? That would prove to be quite a feat should you succeed. But you've hardly the muscle for that, a pity."

"We'll find a way." She hissed through her teeth, turning to her siblings. "We have friends too."

"Perhaps, but they appear to be missing. And what is this?" He clapped his hands gleefully as Alphonse stepped out of the gate, revealing himself as he was followed by more city guards. "I have my allies, where are yours?"

Ten guards surrounded the group at once, their weapons drawn as Alphonse raised a steady hand. "Please, I would prefer if you ca peacefully. Retaliation would only beget more harm, and more guards are already under way."

Na'Vi batted away one of the glaives, with Felix presenting himself in front of KuliKuli to protect her. Syri walked up to him, grabbing his arm and whispering into his ear. He snapped his head to her in shock as she nodded back, recognizing his startled look.

"Trust." She whispered to him, keeping Tootsie safe in her paws.

KuliKuli heard them too, glancing at Alphonse before turning her sights toward Perdilius. "My na is not Nityri, my na is KuliKuli!"

"Yes, the hunter doth inford of your interesting lack of mories. Might be a side effect." He shrugged, watching the guards scoop up Reta carefully in her unconscious form, placing a tal contraption over her head to keep her mouth sealed shut. Several of them took hold of her arms and legs, counting up to three before lifting her up between them, carrying her off toward the gates. Alphonse followed behind them when Perdilius cleared his throat.

"Sir Alphonse, I would be remiss not to remind you that the Nekomata are to be delivered alive and unhard. Preferably alive alone will suffice. Deal with the wolf and the boy as the city permits."

Alphonse waved his hand in acknowledgent, carrying through with leading Felix, KuliKuli and the others through the gates.

As soon as they entered and lost sight of Perdilius, Felix reached to grab hold of her paw and gave it a soft squeeze. KuliKuli returned the gesture, keeping her head forward with an uncertain look shared between them.

"Stop." Alphonse ordered, commanding every guard to seize their movents. He stepped around to face Felix and KuliKuli, inhaling deep through his nose. "I have to ask, why do you risk your life to protect her? She's a monster girl."

Felix was taken aback by his brief questioning, pausing only for a mont. "I love her."

He smacked his lips, looking away in disbelief. "She didn't seduce you or trick you into laying with her unbeknownst of her true form?"

"No." He answered back.

"I revealed myself to him from the beginning." KuliKuli added.

Alphonse laughed and shook his head, his guards looking to each other with questioning exchanges. He snapped his fingers and suddenly, each guard was garroted from out of the shadows, with the exception of one. He was bopped in the head by a large green fist, his armor clanging as he toppled on the floor at the orc's feet. One by one, the guards were taken out as Alphonse kept his eyes fixated on Felix with his hands one his waist.

"I've studied cases like these before, but often I contemplated whether it was lust or dark magic that controlled their mates. Let us hope the answer is much simpler and more relative in nature." He stated, backing away as Nihja stepped into view next to him.

"Thanks, I owe you this one."

"You owe plenty." He countered, grabbing Felix by his arm. "Do a favor, never co back. Kershin can only deal with so much excitent before winter arrives."

"Enough with the theatrics," Nihja sighed, prying his arm off and gesturing for Felix and the others to follow her n into the underground halls. She turned back and flashed a grin to the council man. "Give Aya a kiss for ?"

"Try not to co ho so late." He rolled his eyes, leaning into his arm as the others ran off. "She wants you to tuck her in tonight."

Nihja kissed his cheek before following the others, leaving him surrounded by a group of knocked out n as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"Okayyy... how do I explain this?" He thought to himself out loud.