I was tired. The wounds had taken their toll and my body, hardened though it was, was exhausted. I fought my way through the blood-colored fog and leaned myself against a tree. It was a massive tree. It felt as though the tree had been here since the beginning of time and would remain here long after the humans had left. It was perfect. I was the only imperfection in the whole forest. The sensation of falling gripped me and I lost what little grip on consciousness that had brought me here.

An immense cat stalked up. He had felt the intrusion of a human presence to the ancient forest, and come to take care of the problem. However, as he stared at the young human made tiny by the heinous wounds across her frame, he lost his resolve. He sat back on his haunches and stared at her. Her black ninja uniform could have belonged to any of the shinobi villages. It was her red hair that really made him pause. It was the color of a sunrise, blood-red with hints of orange and gold. He leaned over, grabbed her gently as he could and set her on his back. He moved towards the long-forgotten shrine which he lived in. His heart set that this human kit who he knew nothing about should not die. Maybe if he knew what she was, he would have left her to die.

Akio was his name. He was a loner in the Great Forest. All cats have this tendency, but most lived in a neko community several miles away. He was larger than most of them and had a vicious countenance, but his heart was kind even if his exterior was rough. His coat was a wine-red so deep it could have almost passed for purple at a distance. He had been driven from the community when he was barely more than a kit along with his mother because of a terrible crime his father had committed. Of course, he had gotten off easily; all his older brothers and sisters were eliminated in case they carried the same repulsive genes.

Two cats came prowling up carefully. Both were smaller than him, but still impressive in their own right. Akio nodded cordially. "Daichi, Ichirou, what brings you out so far?" he asked though he knew perfectly well why they had come. "We felt a human presence enter the forest, and we assumed you'd take care of it. However, it's been an hour and the human isn't dead." The larger one stated lifting his head up to meet Akio's gaze. "Mind explaining why?" "Certainly," Akio said easily, not batting an eyelid, "I needed a pet." Both of the cats looked dumbfounded, and then they began to laugh. Their laughter continued for several minutes until they gain control of themselves. "Well, we certainly can't begrudge you some company out here in the wilderness, and the idea of a cat having a human as a pet is amusing in its own right. Don't be surprised if you start a new trend. All the females will want human kits." said the smaller of the two. "However, we must still take a look at the human." said the other, looking serious again. "Of course," Akio acknowledged, leading the cats inside.

Their eyes are still wide as they leave. "Don't be surprised if the thing dies before morning," Daichi warned. "It looks like it's been mauled by wolves."

Akio smiled and nodded. He returned to his lone dwelling, and glances at the kit. "I doubt it'll die, it has the strongest grip on life I've ever seen." He noses a pelt of a squirrel over her as her body is racked by fever. He slips out to gather herbs and prepares for a long night. The wounds on that kit are the worst he has ever seen and they won't be healed easily.

Ahh… It feels so good to finally be writing this! It's been haunting me for months! However, the Akio part was a surprise. Don't come to like him too much, he's not an important part at all. Though he might become one, eventually. I really like how it's turned out so far. I probably have half this thing written out in my head but it's the translation to paper that kills me. So please review! Tell me what you don't like. Tell me what you do like. Please point out any grammatical errors. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it!