::Experience::

Level Two: Stranger in the Bushes

I was taking a well deserved nap on the bank, the afternoon sun warming my fur as my tail swished in the grass happily. I was tempted to remove my bra and panties, just so my privates could get the benefit of the gorgeous weather as well. Before I had the chance, though, I slipped into more than a cat nap. I hadn't slept in three days, what do you expect?

Her home spread out before her, a simple, small farm where she and her family lived. Her four elder brothers from the first litter, the six elder sisters from the second, herself, the only one to survive from the third, and her baby brother, who was also the only one to survive from the fourth litter. Soon after he was born her mother died, and their father returned to the home land with two of the originally six kittens from the first litter.

The brothers mostly went into town to sell the goods they grew while the girls worked in the field, but the youngest brother was strange. He was stronger than the other men of her clan. More like a female Mithra than a small boy.

She watched in the dream as a reflection of who she was seven years ago, still a kitten herself, worked beside her elder sisters and baby brother, two years younger than she. A small smile spread over her lips as she did this, giggling when her brother fell into puddles. It seemed like days were flying by in seconds…

And then they came.

An army of Humes, warrior men who probably aspired to be something along the lines of a Paladin, and mage women who had received their training and only wished to hone their skills.

They were on their way to the Mithra capital, or were they trying to find the Tarutaru? Maybe the Elvaan? They never said. When the family rushed out to meet them they ignored them at first, but then one of the male leaders saw her little brother and turned, sending a blast of black magic his way.

"No!!" She cried from the side lines, and the reflection of herself dove in front of the smaller Mithra. The blast hit her square in the back, between the shoulder blades, sending her flying into her little brother. He crumpled under her weight as she cried out in agony, but hunched her inflicted body over his small one.

Her sisters let out angry cries, pulling farm tools from the gate before they flung themselves at the one who attacked. He laughed, sending more of his black magic at her sisters. One by one they all fell, bleeding, huge black wounds steaming as the water in their Mithra blood boiled away.

She sprung, snagging her brother's shirt and diving into the farm house, throwing him into the cellar and slamming it behind him.

The door to the house burst open, a platoon of soldiers entering before the black mage warrior followed, smirking down at the small Mithra who held a dented pan up as her weapon…

I wrenched myself from the dream, sitting up quickly, panting. I hated when that memory came back to haunt me…

Getting on my hands and knees I crawled over to the river, leaning down and taking a long drink. The afternoon sun was beginning to get a little too hot for me.

While my butt was stuck up in the air, just my luck, I heard a bush rustle near by. Guess Tom finally caught up with me.

Sitting back on my heels I listened and sure enough the rustle again. This guy really wasn't very stealthy at all. "Idiot men…" After standing I walked calmly over to the bush, and then around. What I saw was a man hunched over himself, trying to separate the leaves so he could peer out at the river.

"Hey, bastard, haven't you ever heard of paying for a show?" I raised my foot and shoved it into his side. He rolled, ending up on his back in the grass as I pinned him down and glared.

"Jeez, kitten! You've sure got a short fuse."

"…" Great. I'd only heard the voice once, but he didn't need to be wearing his armor for me to tell it was the paladin from last night. "What do you want, Tom?" I demanded, harshly pushing my leg into his chest.

Again, he barely winced. "Tom? Where'd you get that name from?"

"From you peeping at me through the bushes, you bastard!"

"Aaah. Clever." He grabbed my ankle, picking it up off his massive chest before standing. I reached down to my belt for a dagger, but, as were all my affects, they were out in the sun drying.

"… Shit…"

"Gatta tell you, though, kitten. What you don't have in the chest you make up for in the ass, that's for sure."

I reached up and punched him in the stomach, since I was too short to reach his face. In fact, he was one of the tallest Humes I'd ever seen. So tall that… well… lets just say if he stopped suddenly while walking in front of me my face would be in a most undesirable place.

"… Deserved that one.." He rubbed his middle lightly, obviously unaffected by my punch.

"What do you want, bastard?" I snarled.

"Nothing, really. I just happened to see you on the bank while I came out for my afternoon romp in the sun." He gave his voice a thick, horrible accent from somewhere or other, and I rolled my eyes.

"Really. Why are you here?"

"I'm supposed to bring you in…," He mumbled. "The king was mad at me for allowing a small pest like you to get into the castle, let alone escape, so to make up for it I was supposed to track down the nearest Mithra and bring her in for accusation."

"… I'll kill you."

"I don't doubt it."

We stood in silence for a few agitating moments before he spoke again.

"I'm not taking you in, though. I've actually decided to step down from my position in the castle. Go back to being who I was a long time ago.." He reached up and ran his fingers through his long blonde hair, looking off over my head at something I couldn't see.

"Why? You seemed to enjoy your cushy life there in the stone walls."

"That's just it, though. They're walls. Sometimes that place feels like a cage… And people like me don't do well behind bars."

Another long silence.

"… So what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know, actually. Maybe start over…" I turned away from him and went to pick up my scattered things, pulling on my trousers and shirt and boots. He watched me the entire time.

"What're you looking at, perv?"

"Just you." He smiled sweetly before tipping an imaginary hat my way and literally disappearing.

Coming Soon: Level Three: Hot, Passionate... Battles?