Thrill of the hunt (Closed for CatgirlReborn))

Within a deep forest clearing there was a simple village, self sufficient but very very superstitious. Historically passed down from generation to generation were stories of vampires, were-creatures and other beasts constantly taking people in the night and killing livestock. Recently these rumors surfaced again, a were beast, many saying are like a panther. growing to a fever pitch, which resulted in a call for a mercenary to be hired to stop the newly emerging beast attacks..and who responded was a surprise to many.

The Verlasti family were famous hunters, said to be five brothers and a elderly father who surprisingly was the most dangerous even for his old age. Each brother, even the youngest was seen as a experienced hunter and talented fighter..yet when the Village called for one of the Verlasti family to come to their aid..who responded was a woman. Zaha Verlasti, the youngest of the family. Like the brothers she was clothed in worn thick , loose fitting leather and fur clothing, reinforced with a layer of light chainmail. And like the brothers across her armored chest, belt and boots were lined with the tools of the trade: Silvered Stakes, knives, garlic and wolvesbane, her prefered weapon being a longbow strapped to her back. For many it was surprising alone to the woman was wearing pants over a dress..but there was no question she was a Veralsti...the village elder saw it in her face.

The woman was in her early thirties Her black hair was cut short, barely starting down her neck, the woman's skin had a leathery warn look..one of a experienced fighter. The most prominent feature was a scar, deep and jagged down her right side of her face, her right eye cloudy and white from blindness...but her slow calculated and deliberate moves show she's compensated for the loss of her depth perception..she on her way after gathering her payment and what clues she could of what she was hunting, starting to examine the outskirts of the village..looking along where the beast was rumored to make away with small livestock..

From her place up in the trees, she watched the events of the little town in the distance...occasionally, she would risk sneaking nearer, amongst the clumps of rocks alongside the path, but today it seemed wise to remain back where it was relatively safe. Something was happening; There was much activity. It wasn't easy to make out details, even with her eyesight so keen as it was, but she didn't need details to know a great mass of people were in the plaza...or to see that the fields were unattended, no men knelt beside the river with nets.

The ears atop her head tilted back flat against her long, midnight black hair in curiosity, her tail swishing behind her from beneath the simple white skirt she'd stolen from a clothes line in the night some days ago...slightly torn and more than a little dirty, but it covered her enough to keep her warm. At times, she wished she had fur over more of her body, not just the hair on her head and the soft black fur on her tail and ears, but she made do. The same night, she'd taken a laced bodice, which she once more adjusted in annoyance; Whoever had owned it before was not near so endowed as she herself was, her full breasts straining against the soft cotton. She undid the laces a little with a sigh of relief.

As she watched, a lone human was leaving the town, heading towards her. It was a woman, but from her attire, she seemed to be a warrior or a hunter...something unheard of to the feline woman. And the warrior woman was coming nearer; She could be a threat. The feline gripped her branch more tightly, hunching down to spring if need be, her tail puffed and stiff in a paranoid fear. The townsfolk had tried coming after her before, and she'd just avoided them...they were harmless, with nothing worse than shovels and crude clubs to chase her with. But this woman was something else...this woman would be trouble, to be faced head on.

It was close to high noon, and even though the Zaha she wore was more appropriate for winter, the looseness of them allowed a cool breeze from time to time..the woman's approach was slow and steady, even with one eye missing she was particularity attentive..scanning the ground carefully..she began to move through the fields that were commonly worked..her eyes scanning across the ground noting each impression and disruption..slow and steady, not even the sound of her chain mail made noise her steps were so trained and careful.

Zaha pauses almost as if to listen to the wind, sharp, steady and aware like a wolf..she got closer to her prey's hiding spot..the furs of human sized animals were more apparent..as of now she kept her eyes to the ground before they shifted into the treeline..remembering it was described as a panther..it would take feline qualities..climb trees to keep hidden..

Zaha's cold eyes scanned the treeline, this close her "prey" could make out the humans calm but stern face, and her eyes, one a brilliant emerald green the other dull, dead and white. She had a strange smell..besides a delicate smell of lavender..nothing. The woman used the oil of natural plants to cover up her natural scent..at all times one hand was hovering over the hilt of one of her wicked silvered blades..almost subconsciously challenging her prey to attempt to pounce her..

From up in the trees, she watched the hunter woman closely, sensing ever more clearly that this one was a danger. The human was methodical...purposeful...looking first to the ground for signs, then into the trees. Catching a glimpse of those eyes, the difference between them, the cat saw the chance of a slight advantage. Quietly climbing higher into her tree, she jumped overhead, taking up a position on the opposite side of the path. The side that blank, white eye was on.

Circling the tree from branch to branch, she placed its trunk between herself and the human...the hunter might have a hand on a blade, but the bow across her back was cause enough to be wary of being fired upon. Then she frowned, having to piece together bits of conversation she had overheard during late night ventures into the village, things she had caught from the field workers. She couldn't recall the last time she'd had to speak human words, her words coming in a halting fashion, in a low, feminine voice.

"Forest...not for you. Mine! Mine!" She thought a moment how to continue, her mind settling back on the men with the fish nets. "...The work is done...we go home to dinner."

She nodded, content that her message had gotten through, if not exactly in the best wording. Nervously, she risked a peek around the tree, only half her face showing, one ruby eye trained on the hunter, watching how she was going to react.

The woman froze immediately, though it was a faint disturbance, the woman was trained to take any as a sign..her reflexes would be quick enough to stop herself if she was wrong..she slowly shifted towards where the sound stopped. Though her blind eye was a weakness she's learned to compensate as much as she could, shifting her weight at a angle so her good eye could still give her a clear picture.

That brief moment of silence as her prey slowly approach closer without her noticing gave her prey a even closer look at the woman..she was close enough to hear her breath..slow and steady. When the feline dared to speak, almost like out of a scary story that green eye snaps immediately to her side to meet the ruby eye that dares peak out for a second..there was that first moment of contact..then a wicked smile formed on Zaha's face.

Then the woman spoke..it was smooth, yet a bit harsh, but never lost that light feminine touch.. like smoke and bells..it started with a soft laugh..then was teasing "..Oh little one..you were doing so well.." and like a snap reflex like a hand pulling away from the fire, the woman spun around that bow coming from her back a arrow being knocked..

"Oh little one...you were doing so well..."

Seeing the arrow being readied, the cat is momentarily stunned at the rapid, fluid grace with which the bow is drawn. Damning herself for the hesitation, brief as it may have been, she yanked her head back into the cover of the tree trunk, seeking to keep it between herself and the hunter, silently thanking whatever luck kept her from being shot clean through the eye. Her voice is less steady now, her anxiety evident...but, the hunter knowing where she is, silence was pointless. Better to attempt reasoning.

"Not shoot! Not food...not food! Why does hunter hunt?"

There was quiet from the other side of the tree...that light scent of lavender was still there, but that meant nothing, the smell was everywhere. Her ears perked, listening harder, but there was truly nothing; No shifting of weight, no breathing. Certainly not the sound of departing footsteps, but nor were there footsteps coming nearer either. It was maddening, for all her heighted senses, there was no trace of the hunter being there, and no indication that she was gone. Were it not for fear of that bow, she would've been sorely tempted to look.

As she moved back behind the tree, the hunter just smirked, she was expecting the creature to run or come back around to attack her.. the beast would have been rewarded with a arrow whatever it chose. But..after the few moments..longer then what it would take a snap flight or fight response she paused..then she heard the creature speak again.

There was a brief thought to that question..not that she was asked that before but the circumstance made her briefly think, the woman was still as she did this..like a coiled spring ready to snap at a moments notice. After those long agonizing seconds that felt like hours, that voice spoke up again "..I was hired to hunt a monster that was terrorizing this village..a large black panther like beast..to respond your question..I hunt dangerous animals so others can be safe.."

After a brief moment she began to think..the woman though very serious about her job..was not blind in it..she's ran into many cases of paranoid villagers assuming some random animal is somthing worse. Began to lower her bow, the distinct sound of shifting was heard as the bow was pulled away and the arrow was placed back in the quiver. "Listen..little one..I'm a fair woman..I offer you this..I trust that your not the dangerous monster the villagers think you are..so I will return to the village and tell the people you are gone..in turn you are to leave this area for another patch of forest..I might be able to help you find that patch of forest..but I will not hesitate to bring you down if you attack me or anyone else...do you understand?" she softly spoke taking a moment to shift to hold her hand up to show she was not reaching for a weapon..

Ever wary of deception, she stayed back behind the tree a moment longer, knowing how tricky humans could be at times. All the same, however, there was the ring of truth in what the hunter said, and the feline heard honesty in the tone. Perhaps even trustworthiness. Darting her head around the tree trunk, on the opposite side from before, she stole a half second glance; The hunter had her hands raised in a non-threatening manner. She decided to risk it, unwise as it may be to do so.

Dropping from the tree, she circled around to the front, crouched down with one hand on the ground before her. The other hand, she placed on her chest, indicating herself. "Not monster...not dangerous!" She plucked at the stolen bodice she wore. "Take thing, yes, but not hurt people. Eat the cows, the pigs, the fish, the chickens, but not hurt people."

She pointed towards the village, eyes going narrow, her mouth dropping into a frown, and an edge entered her voice. "People kill animals, eat animals...people take...people throw rocks, chase..." She stopped, taking on a puzzled, thinking look, fumbling for a word until she settled on what the hunter had just said herself. "...Chase 'panther beast' with sticks. People want you to hunt people?"

Zaha kept her hands up into the air as watching the creature slowly slink out from her cover..she keeping still so not to startle her, as the hunter promised...though there was that level of trust..she felt that single green eye constantly follow her..studying her movements. Even like this, she never lost that calculating gaze. She spoke again her voice staying even "I see that now. Your not a monster..your just a creature attempting to survive..you need to eat..as every living being does.." She spoke..to not startle her her movements froze almost like a statue..the only way the nameless cat girl before her could tell she was still alive was to hear the soft breath being gently sucked into her nose and breathed out..

Zaha watched the catgirl as she let her speak, almost as a judge would in a court case..cold but fair." her gaze looked back to the village briefly following hers before she spoke again "Many people have lost their balance and respect for nature..seeing things taken from them as a threat..but they won't do that to you anymore.." she pauses hearing her last question "People..hire me to protect them. They are true monsters within this world..beasts who see humans as nothing more as how they or yourself see chickens and cows...I am trained to kill them..but as I said..and you have said..you are not a monster..."

With that there was a moment of silence..studying the creature as she stepped out..taking in the situation she was in. In all intensive purposes..she very well could have been like a human..but circumstances caused her to take this feral lifestyle..it's all she knows...there was a momentary crack in the hunters cold exterior..a small frown out of pity. After a moment she spoke again "..Wait for me here..ok? I am going to tell the people that you have gone away..and from there I will return here and help you find someplace safe..were you can get food in peace and not be attacked by people..ok?" she softly asked "..Before I go..my name is Zaha..Zaha Velresti..do you have a name?"

Zaha Velresti...she turned the name over and over in her mind, lost in the musical sound of it for a long moment, before the question registered to her. The girl thought hard, concentration showing plain on her face. Did she have a name? Once, perhaps; After all, someone had birthed her...had kept her alive those first, young years, had taught her the things she needed to survive in the wilds. But whoever that someone was had been lost to her, as had any name she may have once worn. Finally she sighed, looking up with a frown.

"No name...time took it away." She dropped her eyes, briefly embarassed by this, though she didn't know the name of the emotion she felt. After a few seconds, her eyes came back up to meet Zaha's. "I stay here."

The cat dropped back onto her rump and sat cross legged...not exactly modest nor lady like in her skirt, but the concepts had never been her own. Offering a small, trusting smile to Zaha, she leaned back against the tree to wait for the hunter's return.

Zaha pauses a moment as she watches her, thinking deeply..there was a very breif, little smile on her face noting her thought as she took the breif moment to think on how she was to convince the village the little black haired feline girl was gone? Then she noted her pointed ears..having a collection of old hunting trohpies..she very well could take the ear of a black furred lycan she's hunted a few weeks before and show it as proof the girl was "Gone"

Pauses at her words before watching here a moment before she spoke up "Ok..maybe in time we could find you one..one that you like ok? You deserve to have a name." she nodded gently before she offered a little smile hearing that she would listen to her and stay put "Ok..I'll be back as soon as I can..promise."

Zaha's eyes shifted a moment to watch the action, her green eye traveling up the bare thight to what was hidden under her white dress she wore to keep warm most likely before her legs crossed and blocked the few second view of her feminine nethers. The image stuck in her mind a few moments as she took a moment to look back to her face, her own smile on her face, this time a bit bigger so she could see it..the stern cold face the woman had slowly warmed, if not for a minute before she went down the path back to the Village.

It was a few hours before she returned, the sun began to set as the earth was bathed in that brief moment of pink and red glow. Over the hill and back to where the feline sat down she returned. During her time in the village she kept calm and composed, convincing the men of her story and getting payment, her purse she kept hidden on her body instead of foolishly hanging on her belt gave a soft metal clink to confirm it's growth in size. When she approached the path she had encountered the feline, her mind flashed back to that moment where her eyes were gifted for a brief few seconds of her..very human looking womanhood. Many have asked, including her own family why Zaha has not been married. Many figured she not being the sort of woman to settle down..in truth, something she kept more to herself as it was seen as very strange and uncommon, she had her eye not on men.. Her voice softly spoke up "Little one..it's Zaha again..they think your gone..I will keep hidden with you for the night and tomorrow I'll help you find a new home.."

The nameless cat watched Zaha depart back to the village, intrigued by the chance that had come over the woman. There was a depth of warmth inside of her, once she stepped out of her role as a hunter, and was just another human being. It was another concept that wasn't known in the forest, but that she had seen clear enough among the villagers to be able to recognize. It was the beginning of companionship...perhaps even friendship. She could quickly find herself trusting this strange woman.

By the time Zaha returned in the sunset hours, the cat was back up in a crouch position, the last of some small animal held in both hands...eatten beyond recognition...and she looked up with a smile, just a bit of blood around her mouth. She drew her arm across her lips, wiping them fairly clean, and stood, casting the lump of fur and bones randomly away. Stepping near to the woman, another moment of puzzlement fell upon her; She knew that the people of the village had certain rituals when they met one another, but was unsure which was appropriate now. Two men clasped their hands together...a man and a woman would press lips, and wrap arms around each other...and the young would often do this too, the wrapping of arms around the grown. But two women? She couldn't recall seeing how they would behave.

In the end, she decided this last was most correct, being that she was to be protected by Zaha. Thus, she threw her arms warmly and tightly about her, pressing lips to her cheek for several seconds before stepping back. There was a small smear of animal blood left behind, marking the place of the kiss.

"I waited. Now, we hide, we sleep?" She pointed deeper into the forest. "Cave and river...sleep, drink, clean. Things I take are there."

After Zaha finished her words to her when she returned, her eyes took a moment to note the small animal she had caught and eaten. She first on instinct checked if it was human meat, but her sharp eyes picked up it was not. The catgirl just plucked up a unlucky rodent skittering by for something to eat. She stood relaxed for a moment watching the curious little thing turn her options within her mind. Zaha having a soft smile on her face. She didn't show any signs of rushing her along..just letting her go at her own place..curious what she was thinking on.

The sudden action was a surprise to Zaha, feeling her arms wrap around her, and she felt that kiss planted on her cheek. Zaha froze in surprise..first out of stopping her instinctual reaction to push her away, the second to register what just happened. The girl hugged and kissed her..like a friend or loved one would. This action caused the cool minded and calculated Zaha to do something she's never done since she's first started training..hesitate. She slowly lifted her arms to hug the girl back, it was a bit of a stiff and formal hug, but she offered a smile in turn to her. After she let go, her gloved hand taking a moment to clean her cheek of blood.

"Thank you for waiting..it shows that you trust me..very good." Zaha responded, her voice paused momentarily, her mind still fully registering the affectionate action, but she continued on "Correct..lets go back to your cave, there we can sleep and prepare for our trip tomorrow."