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Disclaimer: Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, otherwise the NejiTen would be canon.

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Enjoy.


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Chapter 3. Third moon

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She woke up, holding back the urge to purr, she admitted it was one of the things she liked to do but unfortunately couldn't when she was accompanied as humans didn't do such thing. The man at her side brushed her hair aside and gently touched her wound that wouldn't go away, only switching between the left and right side of her neck and then sliding his hand down her back, not that he needed to convince her to enjoy the morning a bit. She had the day off and the night before had been a new moon, so what had happened had been in full use of her consciousness.

She got out of bed a good while later and checked in her kitchen what there was to prepare, finally opting for a piece of meat and contrary to what she would have preferred, she made it stir-fry with vegetables, overcooking ruined the flavor but humans' stomachs were more delicate and they could get sick.

From the last full moon he told her about his close encounter with the panther and the sudden attack that he subsequently discovered was to save his life, he was clever and although he disguised it, he was annoyed with the other humans for being willing to sacrifice him like that. But he still wouldn't tell her why he wanted to catch her even though he seemed to have some urgency. What was in his voice when he described her in her feline mode was a mixture of awe and admiration. When he spoke to her as a person the tone was more of camaraderie, at the moment they were just hanging out together and that was it.

Although she enjoyed his company she had no major problem with that, the only thing was that they kept a low profile, it was no secret to anyone that they were getting close but it's not like they had formalized anything and of course she still had her job where her employers still invited him from time to time.

More and more outsiders, mostly hunters, were arriving in the village. They came from all over the continent and the atmosphere was becoming a bit hostile. The villagers weren't very fond of the excess of outsiders and much less when the reason was to catch the beast that was roaming around. She laughed every time she heard them complain about the last sheep, but it had been a rash and foolish decision.

The reality was that she should start packing her things and leave, her chances of being caught were increasing dramatically with each new hunter that came along. The problem was that she couldn't just leave out of the blue, it wasn't as simple as leaving the village and running to a new destination, in order to guarantee her lifestyle she needed to be welcomed without a problem in a new village and be able to get easy work serving in some other house, so it was important to let them know she was leaving, have her employers make her a letter of recommendation and have enough money to be able to settle down again, the latter at least she had it.

Living as a human had its limitations but she didn't like the idea of staying completely as a panther, besides her consciousness was lost a few at a time when she didn't come out of the transformation at least sporadically on days in addition to the new moon.

Little Miku caught a cold from going out in the rain the night before, so she had to keep an eye on her, changing the wet cloths on her forehead, spooning her some broth and reading her stories so she wouldn't have such a bad time, so she told herself that her plan to announce her retirement would have to be postponed at least until the girl recovered.

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It was only a few days before the full moon, Neji looked annoyed by the other hunters and the methods they planned to use. The only thing she managed to get out of his stories because he wasn't very specific was that he needed to catch the panther alive at any cost, while the others were determined to kill it without any compassion and for that they had begun to locate some traps in the vicinity. Her last thought before transforming was that it had been a mistake not to leave, something bad was going to happen that night and she knew it.

She moved with stealth, she had caught a weasel and a bird that had an injured wing so it couldn't fly. She didn't feel sorry for this one because if it hadn't been her, any other predator would have devoured it, it was the cycle of life in its simplest expression. She climbed a tree when she heard voices approaching and the humans below her scanned the feathered surroundings for any traces to follow, when they left she climbed down and headed in the opposite direction.

She couldn't rely much on her sense of smell as there was a lot of raw meat laid out in the forest, surrounded by traps no doubt. She circled several more times without knowing exactly what to do, it would be best to turn back even though there were still several hours before dawn. She growled in frustration, she approached the creek to drink some water first and when she was crouched down she could hear footsteps, she turned to hiss discovering it was Neji.

"I do not want to hurt you," she was annoyed and she didn't even have patience for him, "but I really need to catch you," there was something like an apology in his voice as he showed a rope, she hissed at him and as soon as she took the step to move away she stepped on a trap that caught her left front paw. "Do not move!" his tone was now worried, "you will only deepen the wound."

The pain was unbearable and she hissed again, she felt she was going to lose the paw, torn off by the metal object and she was doing everything possible not to let out the whimper that would alert everyone of the success they had achieved. He put aside the rope and hurriedly approached, with her other forepaw she began to claw at him, her suffering wasn't only physical, it hurt her to have come to believe his words against the traps and what he had said about not hurting her. With one swipe she tore the vest he was wearing but he just ignored the fact and knelt down in front of her, she could bite him, he was within her reach.

"Stay quiet please, I had not seen the trap either," it was then that she noticed that in that position he was concentrating on disarming the device that held her prisoner. "I hate these things," from one of the pockets he took out a knife and she hissed again. "Calm down, it will not be long," he cut something and finally her paw was freed, she picked it up instinctively, she didn't feel the claws but she felt all the blood she was losing, in the distance again she heard a group of humans. "Wait!" he called from where he was with what looked like a bandage on his hands but she was already leaving. It was uncomfortable to run with only 3 paws but it was impossible to use the injured one.

"What did you do?" it was an annoying voice.

"I told you I have to catch her unharmed!"

"Follow the blood trail!"

Shit! She quickened her strides and did her best to create a false trail, but it was complicated because with the amount of blood gushing out the real trail stood out. She ran for the remaining hours until the first glimpses of light began to appear on the horizon, then she turned to her clothes and arrived just as her human form returned. With alacrity she tore a piece of cloth and made a tourniquet, having to use her teeth to tighten the knot as she couldn't move her fingers, at least the trickle of blood stopped and then she began to run in haste to the village, she couldn't be seen that way around either.

In her dwelling she took out a piece of raw meat and ate it just like that, she had lost a lot of blood so it was vital to start recovering and give herself the nutrients for her healing power to take effect. At the sink she removed the improvised bandage to see the extent of the damage, tears formed in her eyes, it hurt even more being in that form and she could clearly see that the bone could be seen and how she had been very close to losing her hand, slashed by the inhuman trap that used to be used for bears but the damned hunters had decided to use for her.

She was going to bandage it again but any movement made the pain return and the tears appear almost automatically, so she looked for a couple of sticks that could be used to make a splint. That way at least it was a little more bearable, she got dressed in a hurry and ran to work, not caring about anything or anyone, for the next full moon she was going to be far away from there.

She disguised the pain as best she could while doing her chores around the house, after lunch she told her employers her plans and they asked her to reconsider her decision, even offering to increase her salary, the most they got was that she promised to stay at least one more week while the little girl finished overcoming the symptoms of the cold that had spread.

She saw Neji from afar a couple of days later, clearly the hunters were angry with him and he for his part was even more furious with them and the argument was about to come to blows. She felt a little bad about leaving without commenting to him beforehand, but her survival was above all else.

She packed only her clothes, she still wasn't sure where she was going to go, although her employers had told her that they knew an important family in Yu, they could send a letter for them to receive her. She denied, she didn't want anyone to know where she was going and she was also thinking of trying her luck in Tea country, she was starting to run out of options. That afternoon a few minutes after returning to her residence there was a knock on the door, it was Neji.

"I heard that you are leaving," he complained annoyed, she slyly lowered her sleeve to cover her forearm.

"That's right, I'm leaving in 2 days."

"And you were not planning to tell me?" she shrugged trying to downplay the matter.

"Yes, but I hadn't seen you."

"In your stories I have always found it strange why you stay so little time in the villages," his eyes watched her with intensity as he advanced until he cornered her against a wall. "Why are you leaving?"

"It's time for me to move on," he didn't let her say anything else as he kissed her, then started to slide his lips down her neck while with his hands he searched for the clasp of her dress.

He needed to vent all the anger with the other hunters and she had to take advantage of it as she would hardly satiate that instinct again soon. The top of her outfit fell to the front and he tugged at it to expose her breasts, pulling the sleeves to free her arms and it was then that a whimper escaped her. He had roughly touched her left wrist, Neji wasted no time, and with more force than before he released her arm to look at the bandage covering it.

"I fell at work a few days ago," she could swear he was about to hyperventilate as she tried to find an escape route, but he wouldn't let her. In one swift movement he ripped off the cloth and onto the floor her temporary splint fell, the wound had closed and no longer looked like her hand was going to come off, but it was hard to explain

"This is what you have been hiding all this time!" He shook her arm and she whimpered again. "It has always been you!"

"Neji, you hurt me," he let go of her wrist but kept it imprisoned. Trying to appeal to his mercy while she found a way to run away was the only option she could think of.

"I told you I need to find the creature and you did not think to tell me it is you!"

"I don't trust humans."

"That is why you leave the villages, every time you feel cornered you just move on to the next one."

"I must survive, avoid being annihilated by monsters of your kind, like you did with almost all my family."

"You are a therianthrope. And the monster is me?" A surge of anger ran through her. What had he just insinuated?

"You're a damned hunter, all of you are little less than scum," he was red.

"I am not like them."

"Whatever," if she was going to die at least she would do her best to make his life miserable until the end. "Congratulations," she spat with irony, "you got me. What's next?"

"Your bags are already packed, we are leaving tonight."

"I'm not going anywhere with you, you can kill me right here but I'm warning you," her fangs were showing. "I won't give you the pleasure of transforming me so say goodbye to your fur coat."

"I am not going to murder you, I need you alive. Get dressed, you will accompany me to pack my things."

"Fuck you!"

"Listen to me well, by hook or by crook you will be on the carriage that will take us to Ishi tonight. Choose," she crossed her arms ignoring the pain.

"Neither, my departure from the village is scheduled for 2 days, I don't plan to move before... and I don't plan to leave with you either," she sharpened her claws a little more, she could do something with just one hand.

"I am not afraid of your claws," he was fast and she was still a little weak from the lost blood, so it didn't take him long to immobilize her. "I will give you those 2 days, but you will leave with me."

"Or?"

"I will tie you up and put you in the trunk as if you were just another suitcase, I can say that you stole from me or something and I want to take justice into my own hands."

"You're a bastard."

"I told you I have a mission that I finally accomplished, do not think you will manage to escape from me."

Resignedly she nodded, even if she didn't want to admit it she was in his hands. If she kept putting up a fight Neji could tell everyone in the village what she was and she would be stoned in the middle of the main square. His attitude contradicted the impression he had given her earlier about not wanting to hurt her and corroborated what she had always known about not being able to trust humans.

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All corrections and comments are always well received, they help me improve a lot.

Hope you like it.

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Att: Sally K