Boring. Simply boring. More than boring. Flavia, sixteen years old, Princess of Nekos, was brushing her hair, looking through the gigantic window of her even more gigantic room. She had been brushing her hair for now half an hour, but couldn't stop herself from staring outside at a small group of friends.

They were playing with a little ball of yarn. The goal of game was simple. They threw the ball to anyone they wanted and, after a certain agreed upon period of time, the last one who touched the ball would "die." There were ten when they started the game and they were now down to three, two boys and one girl.

Farther ahead, on a bench, two previously eliminated friends were softly, passionately kissing each other. It was obvious they were more than simply friends. They looked so cute.

She sighed. That was an example of true love. But Flavia would never know true love. Because she wore the title of "Princess," she would marry a dumb rich man from Gaulishina. She had only met him once, two years ago. He was anything but attractive. She shivered at the thought that, one day, she would have to kiss him.

"Yuck..." she complained.

He was ugly, he was fat, and there were bumps all over his face. His eyes were the color of dead brown wood and his hair - he had none, being bald. When she had met him, she did her best to look kind and friendly. Not him. He had inspected her from head to feet, his gaze lingering too many seconds on her breasts.

She grimaced and looked at her mom, who only smiled at back her. But behind that smile, there was a hidden message, a message telling Flavia to let him do whatever he wanted. His name was Korky.

They had eaten fish that night. Polite and well educated, Flavia availed herself of the fork and the knife left for her use. When she looked at Korky, she had been more than disgusted. He was using his hands and was cleaning them on his pants. Even more disgusting, he had let out a loud burp after finishing his entire fish in the record time of exactly four minutes and twenty-three seconds. Flavia had counted. Her mother had laughed and Korky never excused himself.

She had been drawn back to reality at hearing a victorious cry from outside. The Neko girl had finally beaten the boy she was facing. She smiled at her defeated friend and gave him a big hug, then she whispered something in his ear. His tail froze and his ears roll up. He held her by her shoulders and seemed to ask her if she was sure about it. She didn't say anything, but did give him a sweet little kiss on the tip of his nose. The boy smiled pleasantly and waved at everyone. They all rose up and, just like that, left the place.

"Majesty?" someone said.

Flavia jumped in surprise and looked at the door. She immediately calmed herself. It was her personal servant, Arminia. She was a bit of overweight and, in comparison to Flavia, she was like a mark on a diamond. But Flavia didn't care. Arminia was her only true friend in her palace. Arminia's back was a bit hunched, and her left eye was a bit higher than her right eye. But her ugliness was quickly forgotten by how nice she was. Arminia always had a good word to comfort Flavia, whatever the problem was.

"Majesty?" Arminia repeated.

"How many times will I have to tell you to call me Flavia?" she retorted.

"Forever, I'm afraid, Miss." She bowed, but stopped herself quickly before going too far. Her back prevented her from bending to the proper level required by etiquette, but Flavia didn't care. In her hands, Arminia held a platter with a saucer that was covering the contents.

Flavia smiled and patted the place beside her. Arminia noticed her gesture and walked towards her, sitting where the Princess had indicated. Meanwhile, Flavia had crossed her legs, in a way so sexy that only female Nekos could do. "You will eat with me, Nia?" Since she was a baby, Flavia always called Arminia by the diminutive Nia, a habit she had never been able to change.

"I'm afraid not, Miss." Flavia frowned, disappointed that she would have to eat alone. "Buuuut..." Flavia looked at Arminia with hope in her eyes. "I still can stay a bit with you, just to talk."

"Ooh, I love you Nia!" Flavia stretched her arms over the platter and gave a hug filled with love to her nanny.

"I-I love you too, Miss." Arminia hugged Flavia back. She closed her eyes. Flavia was like the daughter she never had. The girl was really beautiful. Maybe Flavia didn't know it, but the majority of male Nekos across Catapiran were in absolute love with her. The few released photos that had been taken of Flavia had made them fall in love with her.

"So," Flavia said, releasing Arminia. "What's on the menu today?" She was rubbing her hands, impatient to discover what Arminia had prepared.

"Something very special and very rare, Miss," Arminia said with a grin.

"Oh? What is it?" Arminia had peaked her curiosity.

The old servant smiled and removed the saucer. To the immense surprise of Flavia, three squirming Humans were sitting in the bowl within which they had been imprisoned.

"Humans!?" Flavia could not help crying out in surprise. She tried to calm herself and continued, lowering her tone, "Nia, I thought they were close to extinction! Are you sure we can eat them?"

"Me, no. But you, yes, Miss."

"Oh Nia, I'm so not sure! You really think I can..."

Arminia took Flavia's hands in her own, looked into her eyes, and said, "Don't think about it. Let's just say it's a gift for you before you leave."

The Princess bit her lips. It was true. In two days, she would have to leave Nia and her palace to go live in Gaulishina, with Korky. `Korky...' she felt disgusted. She shook her head and said to Nia, "Where did you get them?"

"It's a secret," Arminia winked at her.

"Oh Nia, come on! It's not fair! I want to know!" Flavia begged.

The servant patted her nose with a little smile. "I will tell you when you will come back"

"But I'm not sure that you will still be here when I will come back..." the Princess pouted.

"I promise you. I will wait for you, right here. And we could talk about how it was with Mister Korky."

"I already know how it will be..."

"Oh, Miss! He maybe has bad manners, but I'm sure he is very nice, and fair."

"Mmh..." she pouted again.

"Come on, now. Eat those Humans quick. Your mother wants to talk with you, afterwards."

"Alright..." She reached in the bowl and randomly picked a Human. Their taste was so unique. The last time she had eaten a Human, it was a long, long time ago. She had not even been a teenager then. She dangled his tiny body, asking Arminia, "What would they say if they could talk, Nia?"

The servant smiled. It had been requested by her to always put a little quantity of glue on their lips, making sure they would never beg Flavia to let them live. Flavia was so sensitive towards animals that she would certainly free them. Humans were meant to be eaten, and Arminia was making sure that her protégé would follow this natural rule. "I'm sure he would ask you to eat him right away. He would love to pass between your lips and feed you."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm more than sure, Miss."

Flavia nodded and parted her lips, just enough to pull the Human's legs between her lips. Immediately, she sucked on his skin, her taste buds recognizing his unique flavour. She sucked him to his waist, and let him go with her fingers. His momentary freedom didn't last long, as she fully slurped him between her lips, sealing him in absolute darkness. The squishy wet sound of saliva everywhere made him tremble and he tried to find an escape. But her tongue was much too powerful for him.

He heard a moan coming from deep inside her throat - his next destination - and tried to scream. But he couldn't. He didn't know exactly how, but the Nekos had made him speechless.

He wriggled in terror, trying to hit her teeth or her gullet. Her tongue prevented him from hitting her as it pressed him against the roof of her mouth, sucking every inch of taste he had. She opened her mouth, letting out a sigh of satisfaction. It only lasted a few seconds before she closed her mouth again. She rolled him around her mouth another moment, before pushing him to the back of her throat. Something grabbed his legs and a wet gulp followed his fall through her oesophagus.

"Aaah," Flavia sighed again. "I love it when they wriggle like that! Thank you, Nia!" She crossed her arms behind Arminia's neck and gave her two loud, wet kisses on each cheek.

"It's no problem, Miss, but you should remember you still have two remaining," she said, pointing at the remaining Humans in the bowl.

"Yes, I know, but I want to talk with you too! I won't be able to talk with you again after I leave," she said, picking another Human, this one a female.

"Should I remind you that there's this splendid device called a phone?"

"It won't be the same!" she exclaimed.

"Alright, alright. What's on your mind, darling?" Arminia asked, putting her hands on her knees.

"Well..." Flavia started, but she couldn't wait anymore and placed her meal inside her mouth. She sloshed it a bit and pushed it between her cheek and her teeth, creating a bulge. "Today, I saw two Nekos kissing each other. I wondered if...one day...I would meet a real love." While she waited patiently for her servant to answer, she started to drench her meal with her sticky saliva.

Arminia decided to be honest with her sweetheart. "To be honest, Miss, I don't think you will meet a real love one day."

Flavia pouted. "How is it, Nia?"

"To be in love? Mmh. Well, it's a wonderful feeling. Loving someone as much as he loves us, it's...unique."

Flavia swallowed hard and picked up the last Human. "You've been in love, Nia?" she asked, surprised. For her, Nia would always be the old nanny who always took care of her.

"Yes, of course! I wasn't bad at all when I was young. I was even a heart breaker." Flavia giggled and put the remaining Human in her mouth, savouring for the last time his taste, and his wriggling. "I've been married to a wonderful man. But, unfortunately, he died of a very rare disease. And it happened before we had decided to have a child..." Despite herself, a tear fell from her eyes.

Flavia, who didn't care anymore about the taste of her meal, swallowed it without even thinking and said, "Oh! Nia, I'm so sorry for you!"

"Oh, don't worry about it, darling," she replied, wiping it away. "I finished my mourning and decided to work at the palace. They told me that I would have to babysit the daughter of the Queen. When I first held you in my arms, I immediately fell in love with you. It was like a gift from the gods. A baby that would replace the one I could never have. And when I look at how beautiful you are now, well," her eyes moistened, "I'm so proud of you. Ah, I will miss you, Miss."

Flavia pushed the platter away and hugged her again. Arminia hid her face in the long golden hair of her protégé. She smelled a mix of spring and wild berries. "We will still have the phone, no?" said the Princess, closing her eyes.

"Gaah, won't be the same." They both laughed, a laugh mixed with tears and pleasure. Both could hear the gurgling sounds coming from Flavia's tummy.

They stayed a while embraced, words being unnecessary to express their feelings. After a time, Flavia broke the contact and said, "Alright, I think I'll go see my mother..."

"Yes, don't make her angry," she said sternly.

Flavia smiled. "Promise."

***

Knock, knock, knock.

Flavia opened the door leading into the office of her mother, the Queen. "Mother?"

"Come in, my daughter."

The Princess entered and walked towards her mother's desk, staying at a respectful distance while remaining on the red carpet.

She waited for her mother to talk first.

"In two days," she started, "you will go to Gaulishina."

"Yes," Flavia replied.

Maria XI turned around, facing her daughter. She had seen more than fifty years, but there was no trace of it. She looked like she was still in her thirties. There was a photo on her desk that had been taken many years ago; she looked the same now as then. The image had been famous around the world. In it, she was holding Sigurd, general of Tinies during the 3rd Tinies World War, with two fingers, her mouth wide open, ready to let him fall in. Of course, she had savoured him in private. Still, many rumours were circulated that she hadn't eaten the Human and even decided to make him her Human pet.

Queen Maria XI came closer to her daughter and stroked her soft hair. "You're beautiful, even more so than I was when I was your age."

Maria XI was in her dressing gown, as violet as an amethyst. It was slightly opened at breast level, but not enough to reveal a good sight their royal curves.

"You will marry Korky, whether you like it or not."

"I know," Flavia replied. She had wished when she was young to have a mother that she could talk to about anything. But she had always been away. She was her mother by blood, but her mother by heart was and would always be Nia.

"Make me proud, understand?"

"I will try..."

"No, don't try, do it!" she said with a tone of reproof.

Flavia stayed calm. "Is that all?"

Maria took a deep breath and replied, "Yes, you may depart."

"It was nice to see you, mother," she offered.

She hoped that her mother would say something. Something motherly, such as Nia would do. Something that ordinary a mother would say to her daughter. She slowly walked towards the door, disappointed. Flavia was about to leave when Maria XI finally spoke. "Flavia?"

"Yes?" she said with hope.

"I won't be here when you leave. I will myself go to Hailfire on business, in order to meet some important people."

`And me? I'm not important? I'm your daughter!' she screamed inwardly. She did her best to remain outwardly calm and didn't reply. Flavia closed the door and ran to her room, crying.

Arminia wasn't here to console her, so she just slept in her bed, wishing that she could leave this place forever.

***

The next morning, in the forest between Peninsula and Alagsas-Karinu...

Kyle and Ryan were walking in the forest, their arms filled with dry wood. They were headed back to their home. They had met each other quite randomly. Ryan had fallen off a tiny cliff directly onto Kyle. When they both rose up, at the same time, they had said, again at the same time, "Are you fucking blind, or what?"

They looked at each other with suspicious eyes, and again at the same time, they both laughed. They didn't know it then, but it was the start of a long and a durable friendship.

Indeed, this event had happened seven years ago. And today, they were bringing wood for fire to their home.

"Hey, Ryan?" Kyle poked Ryan.

"What?"

"Do you hear that?" he said, looking around.

"Hear what?" Ryan said, also looking around.

"Listen..."

"Oh, I hear it now!"

Indeed, Ryan was now hearing someone breathing. He or she was certainly asleep.

"What do we do?" Ryan asked.

"Well, we'll go see, what you think!" Kyle laughed.

As they were approaching, they noticed that the person was breathing very loud. Still, this person wasn't snoring.

"Hey, man," Ryan asked, "do you think it's a-"

Kyle put his index to his mouth and slowly nodded.

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy fucking shit," he said with clenched teeth.

"Shh..." Kyle told him.

"Man, let's get the fuck outta here!" Ryan begged him.

"Calm down, it's sleeping...I just want to see," Kyle said, moving with a furtive walk.

"Bad idea...bad idea..." Ryan said, following his friend.

When they arrived near the breathing sound, they noticed they had been correct. A Neko. It was the first time of their life they looked at one for real. A real Neko! Just in front of them!

Kyle let out a "Wow..." as Ryan stared with his mouth wide open at her.

They didn't know how other Nekos looked, but this one was undoubtedly very hot. Her head was lying against a tree and the rest of her body was simply lying on the grass. Her yellow skin was the most beautiful part of her. Neither Ryan nor Kyle had heard about a yellow furred Neko. She was half-naked, a bra covering her round breasts and panties covering her womanhood. Why was she sleeping there?

"Ok man, you saw her. Now let's get outta here before she wakes up!" Ryan pressed Kyle.

"I want to touch her..." Kyle said, putting his wood on the ground.

"What!?" Ryan screamed hoarsely, trying to keep his voice down. "No, don't!" He tried to grab Kyle, but was too late.

Kyle walked right up to her massive body. Trembling, he extended and touched her skin with the tip of his index finger, right where the Neko's body hips were curving. Kyle looked for an eventual reaction, and, sensing none, touched her with his full hand. Ryan was shouting words at him, but he didn't pay any attention. He brought his face closer and kissed her naked hips.

The contact was quite wonderful, as her skin was soft and warm. He stepped back and looked at the upper part of her body: her breasts. `Jeez, her boobs look like mountains,' Kyle thought.

The foolhardy Human walked towards her panties. He took a hold of the cloth and, to the dismay of Ryan, deftly climbed up. Kyle was walking on a sleeping Neko! He passed over her belly button and then between her soft breasts. He extended his two arms and touched them. What a feeling it was! He looked at her chin and decided to simply give her a little kiss on her lips before leaving.

He was walking on her chest when she suddenly opened her eyes.

Flavia didn't know where she was. Last night, she had fallen asleep in her bed and she was now in an unknown forest... She rose, levering up on her elbows, and noticed something on her chest.

She looked down and screamed at the Human looking at her, "Aaaaaaaaahhhh!"

Kyle didn't know how to react, so he screamed too, "Aaaaaaaaahhhh!"

Flavia cried even louder, "AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

Kyle replied, also crying, "AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

"Kyle!" Ryan screamed at him. "Jump off her and run! Go, go, go!"

Kyle jumped off Flavia and immediately ran towards his friend. He had jumped just in time, as Flavia entirely rose up and also ran, but in the opposite direction.

Ryan and Kyle ran as fast as they could. `That was a close call,' Kyle thought. He looked behind him and noticed there was nobody behind them. He stopped his run, looking where he had met the yellow Neko. Ryan noticed that his friend had stopped running and immediately ran back at him.

"Come on Kyle, follow me!" he said, pulling on his jersey.

Kyle didn't react, "She's not chasing us..."

"All the better, then! Now, let's go ho-me!" Ryan had stressed the last two syllables of his sentence.

"Go home if you want. I'll see if she's okay," Kyle said, walking in the direction he thought the Neko had run.

"You are the dumbest idiot I've ever met, you know that?" Ryan sighed. "Alright, wait for me!"

Kyle smiled. "And on top of that, I forgot where I dropped my wood!" Ryan pouted.

***

Flavia had stopped running. God, that Human had given her the fear of her life! However, she quickly forgot about him as another troubling thought crossed her mind. Where was she?

She looked around her, trying to find a landmark, but found nothing. Then she realized she was still in her pyjamas!

"Is anybody out there? Heeeeey! I'm heeeeeeere!" Flavia waited for an answer, but none came.

She was starting to cry. `Mother...' she thought. Then someone else came into her mind. "Nia..." she whispered.

"Hello!" someone said.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!" She turned around and looked at the speaker. She was a bit surprised to find the same Human who had been on her earlier. "Will you stop scaring me?" she shouted.

"S-sorry..." Kyle said.

"Oh my god, man...I'll hide here, 'kay?" Ryan said, walking behind a tree.

"Tss, chicken," Kyle said, giving him a despair look.

"Well, sorry if I don't want to die!"

"W-wait...you guys can talk?" Flavia noticed, more than a little surprised. She had suddenly and totally forgotten about her home.

"Of course, we can talk! Didn't you know Humans could talk?" Kyle asked Flavia.

"N-no...Every Human I've eaten has never talked..." she tried to remember if ever a Human had talked to her, but couldn't.

"Ha! You see?" said Ryan, with a victorious smile. "She does eat Humans! Now leave her alone, and let's go home Kyle, pleaaaaase!" Ryan begged.

"Ryan, shut up!" Kyle shouted at him.

"Look out Kyle!" Ryan said

Kyle quickly turned around...to see that the Neko had just sat down, crossing her legs. Kyle turned back to Ryan, "You dummy! She's just sitting down!"

"Well, I didn't know!"

Flavia giggled, "Are you too always arguing like that?"

"Not really. It's just...it's the first time we ever meet a real Neko. And you are quite impressive," Kyle said, stepping forward.

"Well thank you, I guess," she smiled at him. Then, Flavia thought about her home. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, go ahead." Kyle also sat down, thinking that it would be like a mark of trust with her. But the Neko didn't seem to notice.

"Do you know how I could get back home?"

"And where is your home, sweetheart?" Kyle asked back.

"The Palace of Nekalia..."

"That's not good...There is no palace around and I don't know a city called Nekalia..." Kyle answered.

"Wh...you must know! Nekalia...capital of Catapiran...no?" Flavia was again beginning to panic.

"Catapiran? Sorry sweetheart, I don't know what that is...You're here in a forest between Alagsas-Karinu and Peninsula, in Panalitic."

"Pana-what?" she tried to repeat the strange name.

"Panalitic. It's the continent you're on, if that helps..."

"No," she said, folding her legs in front of her chest and by rounding her arms around them. "No, it doesn't help at all..." She was beginning to cry again.

Kyle's felt his heart break as he saw the beautiful Neko crying. He stood up and stepped forward, dangerously close to her.

"Kyle! Kyle! No, Don't! Don't, don't, don't!" Ryan cried out.

Kyle ignored his friend and patted the yellow Neko's ankle. "There, there...I'm sure you will find your way home. I-whoa!"

Kyle never saw the gigantic hand coming for him. It closed around him and it lifted him high off the ground. He felt a heavy sensation as his stomach protested the quick movement.

"Kyyyyle! Let him go, you monster!" Ryan screamed at Flavia.

The Neko ignored him and put Kyle on her right knee. The tiny was stunned.

"Why are you not scared of me like your friend? After all, I eat Humans..." she asked him.

"Well..." Kyle said, recovering his spirits. "I don't know really...You are quite beautiful and I think you have a kind personality...even if that little ride hadn't done me good."

"Oh! Sorry, I'll put you down then!" she said, bringing her hand towards him.

"No, no!" he quickly replied. "I'm okay, I swear." Then he stroked her knee, feeling her soft perfumed skin under his hand. "I like it here..."

"Alriiight..." Flavia didn't seem to notice that Kyle was in complete love with her body.

"Hey what's your name? Mine's Kyle!"

"Nice to meet you, Kyle. My name is Flavia Marianova, Princess of Catapiran." She gave him a quick kiss on his head. Still, the sound her lips had made had been quite audible.

"Y-you're a Princess?" Kyle stammered

"Well, yes," she giggled. "Haven't you noticed that I'm yellow furred?"

"N-no...I mean yes, but...that's what it means?"

"Yep!" she said. Without caution again, she grabbed his tiny body and crossed her legs. Slowly this time, she lowered her hand down hand and formed a cup with Kyle inside.

"Wow," Kyle said.

"What?"

"Your skin...it's so...warm," he said, lying in her hands, trying to absorb her body heat.

"And yours is cold! Oh my god, where you live, in a hole?"

"That's right..." he replied.

"Oh...oh, I'm so-sorry...I didn't know," Flavia stammered with excuses, feeling awkward. "Please forgive me..."

"Gah, don't worry about it. I've already forgotten," he winked at her. "Weeeellll...I guess I will have to go home now...you want to come with us?"

"Um...I guess so, yes," she answered.

"No!" Ryan said. He had been silent during their conversation, but hearing that a Neko - a Human-eater - would come to their house...he couldn't stand it.

"Don't be selfish Ryan. She doesn't know what to do," Kyle offered.

"I said no!"

However, Kyle had found the perfect excuse, "Open your eyes, Ryan. She's a Neko, and she's friendly. She could protect us if a hungry Neko passes by. Think about it..."

And indeed, Ryan was thinking about this side of the proposition. He wished to live as long as possible, and this yellow Neko could help fulfill that wish...

Ryan sighed. "Alright, but if she ever does look at me too hungrily..."

"I wonder what he tastes like," said Flavia with a grin, already disobeying his condition.

"Oh, horribly bad," Kyle answered with a laugh.

"Come on, it can't be that bad..." she said, licking her lips.

"Mmmh, I'm not sure, not sure," Kyle added.

"If you dare put me in your mouth..." Ryan began.

"Can't wait anymore!" she said, putting Kyle down. "Stay there, hun." Then she looked at Ryan with the hungriest look she could muster.

"Oh shit!" Ryan yelled, running off into forest.

Flavia giggled as she ran after him, quickly snatching him up.

From his position, all Kyle could do was listen.

"Ha, ha, already caught you!" Kyle heard Flavia gloat.

"Please, don't hurt me..." Kyle's friend begged.

"Pshh, stop talking," Flavia replied. Kyle heard an "aaaah" coming from Flavia. She was obviously opening her mouth.

"No please don't..."

It was hopeless. Kyle heard a wet sound and an "ewwww" coming from Ryan.

He heard Flavia's giggles as the wet sound stopped.

"No!" Ryan said again. "Put me down! Put me down right now!"

Flavia finally walked back into view, holding Ryan's t-shirt between her two sharp fangs. Kyle couldn't stop himself from laughing as he looked at the pouting face of Ryan.

"This is really humiliating," Ryan said.

Flavia smiled and tilted her head back, sucking a screaming Ryan inside her mouth. She sloshed a bit, and tossed him in the space between her cheek and teeth.

"What are you doing?" Kyle asked.

"Playing with him," Flavia grinned.

"You sure he's alright?" Kyle was worried about his friend.

"He'll survive," she replied with another giggle. "So, where is your house?"

"This way," Kyle pointed in forest "Oh wait! We need some wood...it's why we were here."

Flavia looked up at the tree she was standing next to, rose on her legs and grabbed a branch. She pulled it over and broke it in many pieces. "Is that okay?"

"Y-yes...Thank you," Kyle smiled at her.

"Oh, it was nothing," she laughed. "Alright," she said, lying on her tummy. "Get on my back."

"Wh-what...?"

"Get on my back," she repeated.

"Are you sure I can...After all...You're a Princess and I'm only a Human..."

"Stop babbling and get on my back. That's an order from a Princess," Flavia told him.

"A-aight..." he said, very slowly walking towards her back. She sighed and rounded her tail around his body, shifting him up and dropping him on her back.

"Ready?"

"Y-yes, I think..." He wasn't sure if it was a good idea. "And about the wood," he began.

Fast as a flash, Flavia's tail quickly surrounded the pieces of wood. She said, "You might not know it, but a tail is very useful," she smiled.

"Yes, I see that..."

"So! Where is your house again?" Flavia asked.

"Right," Flavia turned right. "Yes, that way. Go straight!"

"Alright!" said the Princess and started to walk deeper in forest. Meanwhile in her mouth, she had pulled Ryan back onto her tongue, merrily playing with his tiny body.

To be continued...

2 years later...

Ryan was running for his life, encouraged by his long-time friend.

"Come on Ryan! She's catching up to you!" Kyle screamed at him.

Ryan quickly looked back, and shivered in terror as he saw the huge Yellow Neko catching up to him. She was very fast, and every single one of her movements were done with incredible accuracy - an inhuman accuracy. It was as if she knew every single rock, every little branch laying on the floor. It was scary - yet beautiful - looking at her running in the wild as if she were the wind itself, dodging every obstacle with feminine grace.

"Don't look a her!" screamed Kyle again. "Focus on me! You can do it!"

Ryan returned his attention to his friend. He was frantically moving his hand at him. Kyle had always run faster than him. He was screaming at him, encouraging him to be careful while jumping. Indeed, Kyle had chosen a hard way to follow. If Ryan wanted to pursue his friend, he would have to continue straight ahead. For some distance ahead, the ground was slowly elevating, eventually form a small cliff to either side. It was abruptly interrupted by a separation in middle, creating a deep gulf. But this gulf was surmountable as the little cliff continued along his path, slowly tapering off towards ground level again.  All Ryan needed to do was jump.

"Don't look behind! That's it, that's it, you're doing good!"

`I will not make it,' Ryan thought as he ran up the elevated ground towards the cliff. `I will not make it...'

He gave it his all, leaping right at the edge. Time seemed to stop. He was looking both at Kyle and the gulf beneath his feet. He would certainly break his limbs by falling from that height. He was about to reach his friend, when Kyle made the most frightful gazes he'd ever seen. Ryan feared the worst and quickly turned his head around.

The last thing Ryan saw was a giant maw filled with saliva, four sharp fangs guarding the entry. Ryan never had time to cry as it quickly reached his tiny frame and closed its lips on his body. Darkness engulfed the damp flesh he found himself trapped within.

Kyle stood still, his legs shaking. His view was being filled by two pink lips, surrounding a tiny forearm that was waving frantically in every direction.

The Yellow Neko closed her eyes, tasting her squirming prey. She sat down on the mini-cliff and savoured her meal, moaning very loudly.

"R-Ryan...?" Kyle stammered, still shaking.

The Yellow Neko opened her dark green eyes and looked at him. As an answer, she slowly slurped in the remaining member of Ryan inside, and played with his whole body in her mouth.

She then shifted her hand, let out one of her claws, and touched Kyle's chest. "Shurrender," she said around the morsel in her mouth.

Ryan's muffled screams were quite audible to Kyle. She was the winner. He sighed and smiled at her. "Alright Flavia, you got us! Again," he said, stroking her fingertip with affection.

A big smile had drawn across Flavia's lips. A victorious smile. Like always. She leaned her head just in front of Kyle and freed Ryan by pushing him out of her mouth with her tongue.

Ryan rolled on the ground, unhappy with his now soaked condition. He immediately turned to face Flavia. "Why do you always catch me first?" he asked with a reprehensive tone. "Can't it be Kyle for once?"

"Well..." Flavia giggled. "You are easier to catch."

Ryan was vainly trying to wipe off Flavia's sticky saliva. It was hopeless. "So what?" he asked.

"So... I don't know." She laughed. "Are you upset at me?" she asked with a pitiful expression.

"Yes."

Flavia increased her efforts. She curved her eyebrows down and made her eyes wet with sadness. "Ryaaaan..." she pleaded, pushing him with her nose.

"No," Ryan said, crossing his arms. "It won't work this time." He looked away.

"Alright..." Flavia pouted and started to walk away, her ears down.

"Ryan," Kyle whispered at him.

"What?" he replied.

Kyle was nodding his head towards Flavia, telling him to say sorry. Ryan sighed even more and rose.

"Flavia..." he started.

Flavia immediately halted. Her ears quickly perked up, orienting on him attentively.

"I'm not mad at you," Ryan started. "It's just that sometimes..." He never finished his sentence.

Flavia giggled and pounced just in front of him. She lowered her head and gave him a big, long wet lick. "I know you're not mad at me! " She laughed. "You know I love you!"

"I..." Ryan said, cleaning his face. "I love you too, Flavia."

The Princess smiled at him. For Kyle, he was simply happy to see his two friends once again getting along.

"How am I supposed to get rid of this... saliva?" Ryan asked aloud, still trying to clean himself.

"Same as usual," Flavia answered with a grin.

"Do I really have to?" Ryan asked, just a bit annoyed.

"Mmh mmh," she moaned. Ryan sighed again. "You're coming too?" she asked, looking at Kyle.

"Well, I hope you won't leave me alone here!" Kyle added with a smile.

"Oh no, never." She winked at him. "Alright, let's go!" Flavia said, leaning down. Both jumped on her back. She rose up and briskly walked towards the little lake for a good bath.

***

Ryan lazily swam towards Kyle. Flavia had left them in the water and had said she would be right back. It had been several minutes since she had been gone and Ryan was worried.

"Hey Kyle," Ryan said.

Kyle was floating comfortably on the water. "Mmmwhaaat...?"

"I'm worried about Flavia. She hasn't come back..."

Kyle lost his balance and began to swim in place. "What!?"

"Yeah, I know. I think we should-" Ryan started.

"No, no. Repeat what you said," Kyle told him.

"What?" Ryan was looking at him strangely.

"Repeat what you just said," Kyle insisted.

"Eh... I'm worried about... Flavia?" Ryan tried, not sure what Kyle's goal was.

"Yes that!" Kyle exclaimed. "Ha ha ha! You like her now, don't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Ryan's face reddened.

"Ha ha ha! No need to hide it!" Kyle said, tapping Ryan's shoulder. "Well, well, well. `Mister Doubtful About Nekos' is now in love with one of them, aye?"

"Wh-what... n-no! You dummy! I'm just... I..." Ryan had reddened up to his ears. Was it so obvious?

"There, there. I've seen the signs. We both know that you run faster than me. You just let yourself be caught by Flavia only to be in her mouth, am I right?" Kyle was smiling at seeing his best friend reddening more than ever. The last time it had happened, it was when Ryan admitted he was a bit scared of the darkness, at the beginning of their friendship.

"I... I... You tell her and I'll kill you, got it?" Ryan replied with glaring eyes.

"Calm down, dude. What are friends for? Your secret will die with me, I promise." Kyle placed his hand over his heart.

"Good. Jeez man, I can't stop staring at her... She's..."

"Grown a lot," Kyle finished. "Yes indeed, she's now a grown woman. Well, Neko I mean..."

"Yeah..." Ryan agreed.

Silence.

"Ok," Ryan began, breaking the awkward silence, "I think we should go see where she-"

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMB!!! Out of my way guys!" Flavia screamed out.

Kyle and Ryan only had few seconds to swim away before Flavia jumped high from a branch and folded her legs on her chest. She landed in water with a big splash. Huge waves rushed at poor Kyle and Ryan. All they could do was to prepare for the tsunami coming at them. They were carried by the giant wave and splashed several meters away, ending up on the beach. They lay there, on the humid sand, looking stunned.

"Wow," Kyle finally said.

"Wow," Ryan added.

A few seconds later, Flavia swam towards them, worried. "Oh guys! I'm so sorry! Are you two alright?"

"I think so," Kyle answered.

"I'm alright," Ryan said afterward.

Meanwhile, Flavia had moved out of the water to lie beside them. "Phew. That was hot," she said, closing her eyes.

"Yes, indeed," Kyle said.

"Absolutely," Ryan added.

Flavia giggled and sighed in happiness. It was good lying on this tiny beach with her two best friends. God, so many things had happened in the last two years!

She had changed a lot. She had passed from a scrawny little Neko to an accomplished adult one. She had gotten taller. Much taller. Her belly became flat, her legs stretched. A nice curve had developed down her beautiful back, leading to her butt, which had increased a lot in volume and roundness. Also, her tiny breasts grew from nubs to beautifully plump mounds. They were simply perfect. Still, Kyle and Ryan thought they were too big. They had to take many back steps to be able to look at her face clearly. Her lips had gotten rosier. Her cute little nose tip was pointed. Her dark green eyes had brightened a little.

But the question of her hair was taboo with Kyle and Ryan. Both wanted to touch it - so soft and inviting looking - but Flavia's hair was like her own prviate property that none could trespass. They had never been able to feel it correctly. Living now in the wild for so long, she decided to rearrange it. Before, it was long enough to be at the same level as her butt. Now, it barely reached her middle back and had some nice spiky little curves at the tip. She loved the effect that only saltwater could do on her. She had discovered this little trick after her fourth bath on Panalitic. She cut the fringe of hair that was hiding her forehead, but she had kept a little part still hiding her front left corner. On the right side of her head, her she kept her hair flat.

Her clothes had been another dilemma. Fortunately, Ryan knew how to knit and, with the help of some cloth they had stolen from passing tinies, Ryan had gently knitted a nice skirt that came to her mid thighs. He also knitted her a tight top. It was made of some sort of leather, but was much lighter than usual. Its color was a dark brown green. Kyle laughed at the fact that Ryan was probably the first human ever who had knitted clothes for a giantess Neko.

Suddenly, Flavia's belly growled. She whispered a growl and said, "Guuuys..."

Both Kyle and Ryan answered "Yes, Flavia?"

"I think I'm hungry," she said with a smile at the corner of her lips.

"Oh!" Ryan said. "Well, there are some nice fruits close by that will-"

"No... I mean, eh... I want meat," Flavia added, blushing a little.

"Oh..." Ryan repeated.

Kyle laughed loudly. "Come on Ryan, it's obvious our Neko wants some fresh meat!"

"Y-yeah I know but... I will never get used to it," Ryan said, pouting a little.

"Yeah, yeah." Kyle turned his attention to Flavia. "Come on, let's go see if we trapped some neeras." He winked at her.

"Alright! Both on my back and let's go!" she said enthusiastically.

***

A few days after meeting Flavia, Kyle and Ryan encountered another problem with her: how would she eat? She knew nothing about hunting and she had quickly been annoyed with fruits and vegetables. She wanted meat. She had told them about fish. Of course, Kyle and Ryan knew what a fish was; the little problem was that they were as big as them, some even bigger!

They were thinking hard about a solution, and Kyle came up with the idea of trapping. Not wanting to betray their own kind, Kyle and Ryan decided to only trap the other species in the Panalitic, neeras. They had crafted many traps, some were complicated, some were very easy to make. And it was to one of the latter that Flavia was leading them.

The trap has been made by Ryan. Its design had been simple to do. Ryan had climbed a tree and had tied a rope round one of the lower branches. At ground level, he made another loop with the other tip of the rope, this one made expressly to be larger, as large as Flavia's heel. A wandering neera would pass by, smelling the scent Ryan had meticulously put on the rope. He would step in the loop and, immediately, the rope would snatch the ankle of the unfortunate neera. He would dangle, head down in mid-air, waiting for someone to help him, or else...

And that's exactly what had happened. A random neera, attracted by the marvelous scent, had fallen for the trap. The rope snatched his ankle and he was even now dangling head down in mid-air. He had tried to notch the rope, but his tiny body wasn't able to bend far enough.

When the poor creature saw a giant blonde Neko coming in his direction, he started to panic. Flavia was laughing about one of Kyle's jokes when she also spotted the neera. Her pupils retracted and she licked her lips and walked faster in his direction.

"Well, well, well, look at what we have here, a delicious neera. Just for me!" she added, showing her fangs.

"L-let me go!" the neera begged her.

"Shh shh shh. Wait a minute dear," she said as she poked him with her claw, making him swing from left to right.

Flavia turned her attention to her two friends on her back. "Sorry guys, you two will have to go down. I can't eat properly when you are on my back,"

"Sure, Flav! Take your time," Kyle said as he descended her back and slid along her tail to arrive at ground level. "Come on Ryan!"

"Y-yeah, I'm coming," Ryan said, not as happy as his friend. He was feeling so sorry for the poor neera. After all, it was his trap. His idea. His fault. "Flavia, I..." Ryan started.

"Yes?" she asked, curious.

"I... eh... no never mind," Ryan said and followed Kyle.

"Eh... alright..." Flavia said, uncertain about her friend. "See you two at home!"

Kyle waved at her and went home with a Ryan who was feeling quite bad, again.

Flavia smiled at him and returned her attention to her dangling meal.

"Hey! Hey! Why don't you eat them? Chase them, they're vulnerable!" the neera said, waving his hands from the Humans to Flavia.

"Because they are my friends and," she moved closer, "you are my meal."

"Wow wow wow! Don't get close to me, Neko! Or I'll..."

"You will what?" Flavia said, sitting down and smiling at the neera.

"I... I..." The neera closed his eyes. He knew there was nothing he could do.

"That's what I thought," she said, rising and coming closer to her next meal. "Ehm... before I eat you, can you tell me where your friends are? That would be nice!"

"Fuck you. Just... fuck you..."

"Ooh, alright then `Mister Unhappy'! No need to be rude, you know."

Flavia opened her mouth and placed the neera inside. It was sad because he wasn't wriggling at all. Flavia hated it when they accepted their fate. There was no fun to be had with them! She untied the rope and fully slurped the not-squirming-neera-that-had-accepted-his-fate. She did not play with him very long before swallowing.

She decided to move to another trap; one neera was not filling at all. And this time, she would not speak with them. Maybe that they would wriggle more if she stuffed them immediately in her mouth? She nodded to herself and moved to another trap, her belly already growling.

***

It was night. Kyle was already sleeping in his bed, while Ryan was thinking about the neera Flavia had eaten. What was his name? He would never know. Did Flavia care about knowing the neera's name? No. He was just one meal among others. Life was cruel. Too cruel. Flavia was a very nice friend to have. But Ryan disliked her diet. Which consisted of eating living beings.

Ryan rose up from his bed and looked at Kyle. His friend was peacefully dreaming. Good. Ryan didn't want Kyle to laugh about him and his thinking. He went out of their hole and looked at a high tree, one of the highest in the region. He saw her. Flavia wasn't sleeping. She was lying on her back and seemed to be counting the stars.

Ryan walked to the base of the tree and went in a little booth. He had constructed it in case something bad would happen. The booth was made of a system of pulleys and could bring at least four people high into Flavia's tree. When he arrived at her level, he stepped out onto the branch and walked over to her. She hadn't heard him.

"Flavia?" he said

She jumped in surprise. "Oh! Ryan! What are you doing here?"

"I... needed to talk with you," Ryan said

"This late? It couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"N-no. I wanted to talk with you only, not with Kyle close." Ryan had reddened a bit and crossed his hands behind his back. The moon reflecting into Flavia's eyes was breathtaking.

"But... aren't you two telling everything to each other?"

"Not everything." Ryan knew that they were deviating too much and said, "Can I?" He pointed at her belly.

"Eh, yeah sure," Flavia was very curious about what Ryan will tell her. She gently grabbed him and put him on her belly. She scooted backward and leaned against the trunk of the tree. "Go ahead. I'm listening."

"It's not too much," Ryan started. "Well... yes... but no. Ahh." He sighed. He took a deep breath and decided to tell it directly. He closed his eyes and said, "I don't like it when you eat neeras!" Ryan waited for her reaction. He had almost screamed his sentence. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her. He felt a bit insulted when he noticed she was silently laughing. "What's funny?"

"You!" Flavia smiled at him.

"Me? What's so funny about me?"

"Well." Flavia had calmed herself, not wanting to upset Ryan. "I don't know... You're cute."

"I-I'm... what?"

"You're cute! Adorable! Mignon!"

"But... do you even care about what I just told you?"

"Oh yes, I do! But... I can't really stop eating neeras. You see it's like... stronger than me. My instinct is commanding me to eat them. You know what I mean?"

"No," Ryan said dryly.

"Alright... Ehm, let's see..." Flavia thought about an example and smiled. "Okay, you remember when you saw me naked in my bath?"

Ryan blinked at the radical change of subject, then reddened. "Y-yeah, b-but I-I don't s-see the p-p-p-point."

"Well, your little manhood hardened." She pointed his crotch. "And you know that you couldn't stop it. It was stronger than you. It's the same with my taste for neeras. I can't stop it."

"But we are talking about living beings!" Ryan said.

"Oh come on. You're the one who created those traps."

"I just wanted to please you."

"And you did well!" Flavia said.

"Yeah but... is it normal that I regret it now?" Ryan pouted.

Flavia sighed. She grabbed him and brought him closer to her eyes. "Look, Ryan. I understand your point but... I can't stop eating neeras. What would I eat instead? Vegetables? Yuck! They're okay, but my body needs meals that contain iron and calcium, got it?"

"Y-yeah," Ryan said, disappointed.

"And I think that I'm gentle enough to not eat them in front you."

Ryan smiled. "Yes."

"But... if it does really bother you, I'll eat when you're not around, is that okay?"

"Alright, thank you for listening to me, Flavia," Ryan said.

The Princess smiled. "No problem, hun." She kissed his head. "Alright go to bed now," she said. She was about to let him go, but Ryan stopped her.

"Wait, Flavia!"

"Yes?"

Ryan was almost too shy to ask, but he decided to take the plunge. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Flavia giggled. "Of course."

She turned around and lay on her back. She deposited Ryan on her belly and said, "Good night, Ryan."

"'night, Flavia."

A few minutes passed by. Flavia was waiting for Ryan to fall asleep first. He didn't want to tell her, but she noticed he was shivering. Like a mother, she put her tail over him. The fur warmed him and he finally fell to sleep. Flavia smiled and fell asleep too, dreaming about what her next hunting game with Kyle and Ryan would be like.

To be continued

Nekosia, Justice Palace

The windows had bars over them, allowing into the large room unwelcomed sunshine. The atmosphere was dark, fitting the mood of those assembled. Sitting upon rows wooden benches, the most important nekos in all of Catapiran were waiting, heads down. Expressions of sadness and loss covered their faces. They each had in their heart a hole that could never be filled. Outside the Justice Palace of Nekosia, people were waiting for the judgement to be announced. A few of the more boisterous nekos were chanting they wanted justice. The whole population of Catapiran thought the same thing: they wanted reparation.

From inside the building, the metallic thud of the lock on the front doors being turned could be heard. A few seconds after, the massive Doors of Judgement opened. Circled by four guards wielding halberds, a very old neko shuffled slowly to the centre of the room. Her back was curved, forming a large hunch. Her limp was not helped by the pair of handcuffs encasing her wrists. Still, she looked to be determined to reach the place expected of her, which was directly in front of the judge.

While walking between the rows of benches, she received many, many looks: murderous glares, envious gazes, and cold stares. She ignored them all, and continued walking with the last of her dignity.

At the first row, she saw Queen Maria XI herself. She was looking ahead, her eyes lost in the void. Her presence shone above all others with her pale yellow skin.  Cool and aloof, she did indeed look like a queen.

One of the four guards opened a little barrier and stepped through. The old neko followed him and walked onto a small red circle that had been drawn on the floor. The guards, slowly and professionally, positioned themselves around the barrier.

The judge, a very old male neko, white furred and skinned, closed a book he was perusing and crossed his fingers, looking at the accused.

"Arminia Jirald, do you know why you are here?" the judge asked. The crowd was silent while the sounds of cameras taking pictures could be heard. The proceedings would be well documented for all to see.

"Yes," Arminia said, without any emotion.

"You are here," said the judge for all to hear, "because you have been accused of the murder of our dear princess, Flavia." The crowd bowed their heads in a show of respect. "After two and a half years of searching, we never found her body. We've asked you to tell us where it was, but you have withheld that information.  Here," he said, opening the book he had closed. "I have proof of your deep friendship with Princess Flavia. You two once had a discussion about Princess Flavia's future with her promised husband, who is sitting here with us today." Many gazes turned to Korky. His face was a carefully controlled mask of dignified sadness. The judge continued, "Here is your last chance to tell us where you have hidden Flavia's body. You will not be asked again."

Everyone in the room hoped she will finally admit the deed, but she quickly dashed any chance of that. "No."

The judge sighed, just like the rest of the crowd. "Well... the jury has already completed its deliberations. My authority would have allowed me to spare you, had you been more cooperative. But since you are not, I shall now render judgement. The jury is unanimous. You are hereby declared guilty of the crime of murder. Your sentence shall be," he paused deliberately for suspense, "...death."

Arminia did not react, other than to smirk a little.

"Do you have any final words?" the judge asked.

For the first time, Arminia lifted her eyes to meet his, and said in a very casual tone, "She needed freedom, and I'm happy she now has it. Who is the real murderer, do you think? Me, or this woman who sits so coldly upon her throne? A mother who never shed a single tear over the loss of her beloved daughter." She pointed Queen Maria XI.

There were hushed whispers among the crowd. The Queen felt a little ill at ease, but signalled for the judge to finish. The latter nodded and continued, "If that is all you have to say, then I declare these proceedings done.  As the presiding judge, I concur with the both the jury's verdict and sentencing." Giving her a sympathetic look, he added a personal note: "May you be forgiven in the beyond."

The guards once again made a circle around Arminia and escorted her to the exit. Following them, the crowd stood up and left the room.

***

"Nia, no!" screamed Flavia as she suddenly woke up.

It was early morning, the sun peeking mostly above the horizon. Flavia was sitting on a big branch, high above the ground, with a terror-filled look on her face. Her heart pounding in her chest, she slowly relaxed her death grip on the bark of the tree. It may have only been a nightmare; nevertheless, the princess was missing Arminia terribly. It was as if a part of her soul were gone. She wished so much that her servant could be here with her, enjoying the freedom of the wild. She wiped a tear away and brought her legs close to her chest, looking away at the far off horizon.

Her neko ears twitched, telling her that someone was coming. She didn't react at all and waited for the tiny to draw close. She secretly hoped it would be a neera she could enjoy, but she sensed it was Ryan, again. She could always count on Ryan to listen to her problems. He was attentive and respectful. Kyle's sense of humour could also help sometimes.

"Flavia," said Ryan as he stepped on the branch she was sitting on. All he could see was her back, draped by her beautiful blond hair. Her tail was resting limply on the branch. "Flavia, I heard you scream. Are you alright?"

Flavia sat still, not answering Ryan. The latter sighed and stepped forward, determined to help his giant neko friend. "You know you can tell me what's wr-" He was quickly interrupted as her tail coiled around his waistline. It transported him into the air, passing beside Flavia's body, depositing him in front of her, on the other side of the branch.

"Whoa," he said as he stood up, looking at where he might have fallen. "It's a good thing you didn't drop me..." He stopped himself, as Flavia wasn't reacting at all. He looked into her eyes, their greenness turned red in sadness as she was looking away, resting her chin between her knees.

Concerned, he silently walked to her, a little smile of friendship on his face. Slowly, he climbed up and sat on her foot, waiting for her to speak. He also turned to look at the rising sun.

It wasn't the first time that Flavia was in a bad mood after waking up in the morning. Ryan was now used to it and knew how to deal with her. She had probably had a bad dream about her old life or dreamed about someone she really cared for. So he waited, rubbing his hands gently across the softness of her yellow fur. He wished he could have a sheet as soft as her fur.

"I... dreamed about Nia," Flavia finally said.

Ryan nodded to himself. Flavia had told him that `Nia' had been her only friend during her time as princess. The servant had always taken great care of her and for that, Flavia would always remember her. Sadly, she had been appearing in Flavia's nightmares, which was very hard for the princess to deal with.

Ryan looked upwards, only able to see her two hands bound together. They were shaking. "Another nightmare, eh? Tell me what it was about," he said with a very soft tone.

"It's just..." Flavia wiped a tear away with her index finger. "It was Nia and she had been condemned for my murder." Her voice was jerky.

"And she had been condemned to what?"

"Death," Flavia said, crying and drawing her legs closer to her chest, Ryan still on her feet. He almost fell, but kept his balance as he braced his two tiny hands against her skin. `Great,' he said to himself. For him, seeing Flavia this way was heartbreaking. He glanced around and began climbing her leg. He made it to her mid-calf before realizing there was no way he could reach her knees.

"Flavia," he said with a friendly tone. "Please, help me up; I want to see you." Instead of her hand, it was her tail again that did the job for her. It pushed Ryan's butt up and he managed to cling to her knee. He was now face to face with her. Well, face to top of head, because she had hidden her face in the space between her legs and chest.

Ryan sat and patted her hair. "Flavia, look at me please."

She didn't react. The tiny human sighed and became more insistent. When she finally lifted her head up, her cheeks and eyes were all wet with tears. "Ah Flavia," sighed Ryan in a tone that reminiscent of a father consoling his little daughter. "Don't you like your life here, with Kyle and me?"

"Mmmh," she moaned, unable to speak.

"It was only a nightmare. There's no need for these tears. Tell me you won't do anything stupid, ok?"

"...ok."

"There, there... tilt your head a little," he said, motion his hand to indicate what she should do.

Hesitantly, she did so. Ryan, with perfect confidence, pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and attempted to wipe her face clean. It was a hard because just one of her tears was as big as his handkerchief. She giggled and closed her eyes in amusement. She slowly opened them again and looked at Ryan with a gaze filled with love.

"Thank you, Ryan."

"For what? I'm not done yet with your tears," he said as he pulled out another handkerchief.

"No." She laughed." For being here with me. For... well taking care of me." She grabbed his tiny body with her both hands and hugged him, stroking him on her cheek. Ryan smiled and extended his arms, trying to hug her back.

She scooted backward and rested her back against the tree trunk. She put Ryan on her shoulder and asked, "Will you stay with me, Ryan?"

The human grabbed a lock of her hair to keep from falling and answered, "I will always be there for you."

Flavia giggled. "That's not quite answering my question, but I'll take it as a yes."

They sat there, looking at the still rising sun, which had almost fully revealed itself.

***

"Hey, where you two have been?" asked Kyle as he saw Flavia climbing, cat-like, down her tree with Ryan, the latter's shirt held snugly between the princess' fangs. She gently set Ryan on the ground and glanced at Kyle with a teasing look.

"Having sex." She winked at him. The astonished gaze Kyle gave her made her burst into laughter. "Come on, silly! We were just sharing some time together."

"Better than sex." Kyle smiled. "Ehm," he said more seriously. "Our food reserves are almost gone."

"Aw, not serious!" Flavia pouted as she leapt over to their reserve - a tiny wooden structure where they were keeping all their fruits, vegetables and such. She growled and came back towards them. Kyle and Ryan were already arguing about where they would have to go get their food.

"And I say it's better to go in that direction" Ryan pointed at his right, the other hand on his hip.

"You say that way because that's where the food you like is. I say it's better to go in that direction," Kyle pointed behind him. "That will offer us a greater variety of food."

"Ah," an annoyed Flavia interrupted, "will you two quit arguing? Your princess orders both of you to go down to the river, 'kay?" she said with a firm tone.

"Yes, ma'am," Kyle responded in a teasing tone.

"Of course, Flavia," Ryan said, looking at her with love in his eyes.

Kyle sighed at his hopeless friend and asked the neko, "And you? What'll do?"

"Ima go hunt some neeras." She licked her lips. "So..." She quickly swished her tail and took off like a streak into the forest. Before disappearing completely from their sight, she said, "See you soon, guys. Don't kill each other!"

And she was gone. Ryan was still starring in the direction she had run. Kyle shook his head and hit his friend on the shoulder.
"Hey!" Ryan rubbed his shoulder.

"Come on, let's get going before you get it in your head to go running after her," Kyle said, wrapping his arm around Ryan's neck and walking towards the little river. "Man, you got it bad for her."

***

Flavia was walking to each one of the traps she had set. They were supposed to catch yummy neeras. Sadly, none had fallen in them. However, she was not upset with her lack of a meal. Having some free time without being around Kyle or Ryan was not necessarily a bad thing.

Ryan was always telling her soft words while Kyle was always looking at her feminine parts. Ryan was always giving himself a quest to find a flower that could match her beauty. Flavia was always accepting the flowers with a smile, but wasn't smiling at all when Ryan came near to dying after he picked a highly poisonous one. Fortunately, it hadn't killed him, but the little human had been unconscious for days while Flavia and Kyle fretted over him. She had been angered at his carelessness and then heartbroken at the thought he might not survive. The only positive part of the bad luck for Ryan was that Flavia took very good care of him during his ordeal.

Flavia arrived at another trap, walking on her four paws very delicately. This one was quite particular. When a neera would pass close, it would step on a fine wire that would break. Once it broke, a very scary figure that appeared to be a hanged neera would fall down from tree. The real neera, scared like hell, would flee from it. Then a cage would immediately trap the poor neera, along with the false hanged one.

When Flavia noticed that the trap was still waiting for a neera to come, she sighed and turned away, heading towards yet another trap. In total, there were twelve traps. Nine of them had been crafted by Ryan. He had become very adept at creating them during their time in the wilderness.

Suddenly, mid-way to the next trap, her neko senses alerted her that something was amiss. Her tail stopped swaying while her cat ears lifted up and swivelled. Danger. It filled her senses. She sniffed the air. It came from the river. Strangely, it smelled... virile. She shook her head and ran as fast as she could on her four paws towards the scent.

During her run, a thought stuck in her head. Ryan and Kyle were at the river. `Oh no! I hope nothing bad has happened to them.' She increased her speed, passing through their `house.' She called this place her house even though it had no roof. Nevertheless, it was home. It was where she and her two tiny friends were living now.

She stopped a short distance beyond her house, sniffing at the air again. The scent was strongest to the right. She quickly turned right and ran as fast as should. Something about the odour was awakening a feeling deep inside her... sexual desire. She shook her head again. What was wrong with her?

"Aaaaaaa!" someone screamed.

This voice... it was... "Ryan! I'm coming!" Flavia's answering scream resounded through the forest.

She ran headlong through the brush. A few stray branches scratched her satin skin. When she finally arrived at the river, she saw that Kyle and Ryan were holding each other and were stepping backwards, towards her position. Farther ahead, a dark furred neko with tanned skin was gazing directly at them. It was clear he hadn't eaten anything for days. He had many, many scars on his face and on his skin. He was bare from the waist up, but still had a pair of ragged shorts. He was the source of the scent that was affecting her so.  Despite her scream earlier, the strange neko was paying her no heed whatsoever. He was entirely fixated on the two humans.

"Kyle, Ryan," she whispered at them. Both turned around, jumping in surprise. The look on their face when they noticed her made her smile a bit, but she remained serious. "Go back to house. Now. And stay hidden until I come back. Don't ask questions."

Kyle nodded, and grabbed Ryan's hand to force him run along. While Ryan passed close to Flavia, he brushed his hand against her foot, which was his way to tell her "good luck." She purred faintly at the touch, and set her gaze on the male neko.

The male, seeing that his lunch was escaping, attempted to run after them. He completely ignored Flavia.

She, however, did not ignore him. As he attempted to pass her, she extended her claws and violently scratched his face. He howled in pain and stumbled back. On his left cheek were now four deep claw marks. Blood was slowly dripping from them. He seemed disoriented as he faced her, his own claws extended.

Flavia slowly circled the male neko, keeping out of reach of his claws. He followed her movement, shifting in place slightly. Flavia was very surprised at herself. She was acting almost purely on instinct. She bared her fangs at him, hoping to appear threatening. The display did not seem to faze him as he continued to glare at her.

She now had her back to the river, opposite from where she first arrived. That was when she noticed her foe was trembling. She did not think it was due to fear of her. No, more likely he was starved. He was well built, but very weak at the moment. When Flavia looked into his watery eyes, it was obvious he was sick. He was just a neko who needed to eat to stay alive. She was no expert, but she doubted he would survive another day without assistance. He would soon be too weak to stand, which meant he would no longer be able to hunt. After that, death was certain to come.

Suddenly, the neko male crumpled to the ground, lying on his side. It was as if his legs simply gave out, no longer able to support his weight. His eyes remained focused on Flavia. He was waiting for death to take him.

When he hit the ground, Flavia stopped moving. She waited, to see if he was playing a trick on her. His eyes slowly closed and he rolled over, face down upon the ground.  She slowly walked closer. He was still breathing, though so shallowly she could barely see his chest moving. Hearing her approach, he issued a weak, pathetic growl. She ignored the bluff, and carefully turned him on his back.

Flavia leaned her head over his chest and listened to his heartbeat. It was beating still, albeit feebly. She stood and looked down at him. What to do now? Leave him there to his fate?

The smiling face of Arminia came to her mind. It warmed Flavia's heart. She knew what Arminia would have done. She looked down at the male neko and stroked his cheek. "You will live," she whispered.

Then, she immediately took off towards her house. Fortunately, it wasn't too far. When she arrived, the princess quickly climbed her tree.

Kyle and Ryan slowly emerged from their hiding place. They had heard someone coming, but they weren't sure who it was. Suddenly, they heard a loud crack, which made Ryan jump in terror. It was followed by another loud crack. Ryan feared for the worst. Maybe the male neko was eating Flavia... and those cracks were her bones!

His thought quickly dissipated as Flavia jumped off the tree to land on the ground, two long, solid branches in her arms. She grabbed up a length of vine before turning back to the river. She noticed Kyle and Ryan, but barely gave them her attention as she spoke to them.

"Both of you need to go and quickly find something to eat. Anything. Hurry up." She urged them on with a little nod of her head, then began to run back towards the river and the sick neko.

"But," began Kyle, "what's happening? Are you alright?"

"Don't ask questions and hurry! It's a matter of life or death!"

She quickly returned to the where the male neko was lying. She was relieved to see he was still there, even though she knew he could not move very far in his current. She put her two branches on the ground, both parallel and very close to each other. Taking the vine, she tied it off and began looping it from one branch to the other, forming a makeshift stretcher. It wasn't much of one, but it would have to do.

She carefully grabbed the neko and pulled him onto the vines between the two branches. He was heavier than she had thought. She hoped he would not break either the branches or the vine between them. After positioning him, she lifted the ends of both branches, making sure they could bear his weight. This done, she slowly began dragging him towards her house.

During the short trip, he growled several times. But Flavia didn't care. Even if he didn't want to be saved, she would save him.

Sooner than she had thought possible, she arrived at her house. She noticed Kyle and Ryan weren't there. `Good,' she thought. That meant they had listed and were out searching for something to eat. She brought the dark neko to her tree trunk. He was barely awake.

She let him rest there, and quickly ran back to the river to get him some water.

Barely conscious, the dark-neko wondered why this yellow neko was trying to help him. And he also wondered why she had saved those two tinies. It didn't make any sense, her attacking him over food, especially when he was so obviously starved. None of that mattered in the end. As sick as he was, he knew death was coming. He welcomed it. As his thoughts turned dark, he finally fell into a fitful sleep; his final wish was for a quick and painless death.

To be continued...

How much time had passed? Four days? One week? There was no distinction between time and space for Caddan. No dreams had come to him. There was only... darkness. Only this feeling that he was now dead and that he would not suffer anymore. Finally, he would not suffer any more pain, not suffer any more hunger, not suffer anything at all. There was no gladness in him over this, only a sense of relief.

Yet something was holding him back. Something was keeping him from making that final plunge into the abyss. In the darkness of his death, he kept hearing a soft, feminine voice speaking to him. He could not discern any words or meaning. The tone of the voice was kind, insistent, and demanding, as if it expected nothing less obedience. Strangely, Caddan wanted to obey. There was something familiar about the voice.

A stray thought came to him, a story from his youth about angels that would take souls to their final resting place. Maybe this was an angel and she was bringing him to the other world? Tinies thought they would become part of those who devoured them. That was their afterlife. What happened to nekos who simply died? He imagined an immense forest where frolicking nekos could do as they desired - where food was plentiful and companionship readily available. He saw himself sleeping under the leaves of some flowery tree while a beautiful lady neko sat beside him, feeding him tiny mouse people until he was sated. He imagined chasing her through the woods, never quite able to catch her until she wished to be caught. And then they would fall together upon a bed of moss, embracing... kissing. Yes, that would be a perfect heaven. Caddan imagined the very angel talking to him in that same, warm embrace.

Or perhaps she was not an angel? What if, instead of heaven, she was dragging him down into the bowels of hell? She could be a succubus, a seductive deceiver looking to collect another soul for her evil masters. That was an unpleasant thought.

No, that was impossible. Caddan had never done anything bad enough to attract the attention of such a creature. He had never been cruel to his prey. He had eaten when he was hungry and never gorged himself. He had never killed a fellow neko. He had gotten into plenty of fights, of course. But then so had the other nekos he knew. He had only joined in those fights to defend his friends. He was loyal to those same friends, though the same could not be said of them.

Many months ago, his friends had abandoned him. He was blamed as the source of their many unsuccessful hunts. They had given him many chances, but he always failed. He never knew why. He always had a suspicion that it was one of his rivals in the group sabotaging his hunts and causing him to fail. However, he could never prove anything. Several times, he had come close to accusing Talblar, a skinny neko who was always giving Caddan hateful glances. Caddan never did so because he was never completely sure Talblar was to blame for his woes.

In the end, tired of Caddan's repeated failures, his own friends had cornered him, severally beaten him, and chased him away. In pain, running in fear of his life, their last parting words had stung him deeply. They had called him worthless. As bad as his body had hurt from the many cuts and bruises, his heart had suffered the most. His long-time friends had humiliated him and abandoned him. And then he had abandoned himself. He had nearly lost the will to live. What was the point in going on alone?

He had thought about killing himself. It had been a very close thing. He recalled looking down from a high cliff and thinking how easy it would have been to simply step off the edge and end it all.

Something inside him had refused, there at the last. Some hardened core would not allow his erstwhile friends this final victory. Making a decision, he set out on his own out in the wilds. He had not been prepared for the hardships of such a life. Finding food was difficult. When he did catch sight or scent of a human or mouse person, he tried his best to catch them. More often than not, his hunts ended in the intended prey escaping. Perhaps his friends had been right all along. In desperation, he had begun picking and eating fruits. He had even stooped to digging up grubs and tubers from the dirt to consume. His body, however, was not used to such food. As time wore on, he found himself growing weaker and weaker.

That led him his most recent fiasco. After weeks of futile hunting, he had finally found two humans who, ironically, were out picking fruits. He had stayed as quiet as he could, sneaking up to them in order to pounce. One of the tinies had spotted him and screamed in terror. Caddan had been so ashamed at his utter failure, he had stood and watched the two humans back away from him.

Hunger urging him on, he had moved towards them in a daze. For some bizarre reason, he had completely ignored the neko girl who had come running up to confront him. So focused on finally getting a meal, it took her clawing his face to draw his attention.

When he finally took notice, it was as if he were looking at a dream made into reality. She was a vision of exquisite beauty - a blonde haired neko. He had never seen anyone like her in his life. She had bared her fangs at him and begun circling around. Always before, he would have defended himself against such aggression. With her, he could not. He tried to tell himself it was due to his weakened state, but that was a lie. She looked like an angel sent down from heaven. How could he attack such divine beauty?

Turning in place to keep his back away from her, he felt his muscles lose all their strength at once. The last thing he remembered clearly seeing before blacking out was her lovely face above his own, looking down upon him with those deep emerald eyes. Her expression had been worried.

Fading in and out, he thought he felt her hands touching his chest. He also had a vague recollection of the two humans speaking to her, but that was crazy. Why would a neko angel be talking to humans? They mentioned keeping him around for one week. What did that mean? Then Caddan blacked out entirely.

When he groggily came to, the first words he heard did not bode well.

"Flavia, I think we should bind him," said a voice.

"And gag him," added another voice

"And maybe put something over his eyes so he won't see us," said the first voice again.

"Oh, will you to please give it a rest. At least give him time to wake up. I know you're both worried, but I promise from the bottom of my heart I'm not going to let him hurt either one of you. I'd never allow that. Now please go get some fruits for him. Please?" It was the same melodious voice from before. It was the golden neko - his angel. Opening his eyes, his blurry vision slowly focused on her form kneeling above him. Her full pink lips were smiling down at him. His gaze immediately went to her emerald green eyes, so soft with concern. They were so beautiful. Just like the rest of her.

"Hello there," she said with a hushed voice. She was stroking his cheek with her hand, while her other hand was behind his head, holding it slightly off the ground. She was actually touching him. Caddan felt a profound happiness deep in his heart. Nothing else mattered but her.

He spoke his first word with difficulty, "H-h-hello..."

Wincing at the incredible pain that shot through his head, he felt his muscles tense up. The pain was unbelievable. He put a hand on his forehead and tried to sit up, but her hand prevented him from doing so. She held him down as one might an errant kitten, so weak was he. It made him feel uneasy to be so helpless. He felt her shifting around and suddenly something soft was propping up his head and neck.

"Shh, shh, shh... You need to remain as you are. You're too weak to try to sit up," she said, looking along his body.

Caddan had never been embarrassed about his appearance before, but now, suddenly, he was. Would she care about his many scars? What did she think about him?

"You aren't in any danger, I promise." Once again, he felt her hand gently stroking his cheek.

Caddan let her do as she wished and closed his eyes as another spasm of pain wracked his head. It lasted a few seconds before it finally disappeared. He reopened his eyes and glanced around to see where he was. He was situated very close to a tree trunk, which was far too big to be a normal tree. Also, his head was resting on the female neko's thighs while the rest of his body was laid out on the soft grass. He looked again at the neko and asked, "Wh-where am I... and who are you? Your face reminds me of someone."

"Here," she said in a soft tone, "is where I live with my friends. I sleep high in the tree and my name is Flavia."

"Flavia..." repeated Caddan.

"We kinda met before you went unconscious. You fell to the ground and I didn't want to just leave you there to die. So I brought you here with me and did my best to heal you." She looked meaningfully at his body. "And I can see that I haven't tried for nothing," she added with a smile at the corner of her lips.

"Are you... are you the one who protected those humans?"

"Yep, that's me. I couldn't let you eat my friends," she said. There was an unmistakable tone of reproach in her voice.

"Friends?" Caddan was confused. Why would she want to be friends with humans? How was that even possible?

Seeing his dubious look, Flavia waved her hands towards the tree. "Yes, my friends. They've been helping feed you too, so be nice to them. Anyway, it's a long story. Never mind that for the moment. You haven't even told me your name yet." The look she gave him told him he had better answer.

"Caddan."

The silence that descended upon the two was not awkward. Caddan felt Flavia's emerald green eyes piercing into his very soul. He did not react when she lightly placed her hands on his chest.

Diving into those eyes, Flavia saw all the pain and suffering he had endured. She saw the hardship, the desperation, the near hopelessness of his situation. The scars on his body would heal, over time. There would always be marks. But those scars were as nothing compared to what she saw in those eyes. Feeling a bit shy, she looked away, a lock of her long, blonde hair dropping down to hide her face from him.

Sitting very still, she absently ran her slender fingers over his chest. Caddan shivered, but did not stop her. He liked the soft caress of her fingers on his body.

Flavia finally broke the silence. "These scars," she said with her fingertip running lightly across one, "where did they come from?"

"It's a long story," he said, teasing her.

Looking back at him, she smiled - a smile that warmed him to his heart. This neko girl looked so beautiful. Had he met her in the past, he would never have dared approach her; she was so far out of his reach. All he knew of her was that her name was Flavia. He wanted to know so much more.

Lying there, resting comfortably on her thighs, he tried to keep his eyes open and his mind clear. His eyelids felt so heavy; it would be so easy to close them. But there were so many questions he needed to ask. He could already feel weakness creeping up again. As much as he disliked the idea, he knew he had to sleep. He wanted nothing more than to keep his eyes open so he could watch her. He opened his mouth to ask Flavia how she had come to live out in the wild. She quickly placed one finger across his lips, shushing him.

"We'll have plenty of time to talk later. You need to sleep now."

Enjoying her tenderness, he breathed in the scent of her skin. She slowly reached up and feathered her fingers across his eyes, closing them gently. Smiling faintly at her almost motherly ways, he did not protest. He went to sleep feeling those same fingers begin to knead across his temples lightly. When she rubbed them along his ears, he could not keep from purring. Sleep took him very soon after.

***

Caddan woke, this time at the end of the day. The sun had already set but its light was still cresting over the horizon. The sky was alive with a vivid mix of pink, red, and orange colours. He started to sit up but immediately stopped when he felt a weight against his arm.

There, on his forearm, was Flavia's rose-tanned hand. She was sleeping with her legs folded in on themselves. Her knee was just touching his hips while the rest of her foreleg rested along his thigh. Her tiptoes were touching his knee. He smiled at the lovely sight she inadvertently gave him of her curves. It was literally like a hollow between two magnificent mountains. He looked at her flat tummy, slowly rising and falling. He could easily get used to waking up to such a sight every day.

He could not resist getting a better view and so decided to turn on his side, turning his face to hers. Her lips were slightly parted, revealing her sharp, white teeth as she let out a succession of warm breaths. They were as warm as her slender body. Now that he was very close to her, her belly - when she breathed in - was ever so lightly touching his own. He smiled in contentment at the contact. Definitely, this neko girl was full of promises.

From the quickening of her breaths, he knew she was waking. He did not think she would approve of him admiring her body, so he kept his eyes firmly upon her own, waiting for them to open.

The princess had watched over Caddan while he was sleeping. He was so intriguing to her. The way he looked at her was different from what she had experienced before. In some ways, he had the same look Ryan had when the tiny human was looking at her. Caddan's eyes were... more interesting at the same time they were less. She could not quite put her finger on why that was.

While tending him during his sleep, she had decided to take a brief rest. After all, she had been looking after him for now almost a whole week. She could allow herself a little break. She sat down with no intention of napping. However, as soon as she had laid her head against his forearm, she had immediately fallen asleep.

The feeling that someone was looking at her brought her awake. When she opened her eyes, she was quite surprised to see Caddan quietly looking back at her.

"Hello there," he said, just as she had said to him on the first day they met.

Flavia giggled. "Hello." She paused a moment. "How long have you been awake?"

"Only a few minutes," he answered in the same hushed tone. "I didn't wish to wake you. You looked like you needed the sleep."

"Well then, it looks like you failed." She smiled, pushing a lock of her hair behind her head.

What surprised Caddan most was the fact that she was still resting on his arm. She did not even appear to notice.

Sensing a faint tension in him, Flavia quickly raised herself up. "Sorry if I slept on your arm," she said, blushing a little.

"It's ok. Your hair is very soft," he complimented her. He also sat up.

"Th-thank you." Flavia blushed even more. Looking away, she played idly with a lock of her hair.

Smiling confidently, Caddan rose smoothly to his feet. It had been a long time since he had stood and it felt great. He took a few steps in place, tensing and releasing his muscles. He certainly would not win any races. Nevertheless, he felt better than he had in weeks. He quietly knelt in front of Flavia, who had folded her legs to the side.

She looked at him. He had a little smile on the corner of his lips, tenderly looking at her. "What are you..." Flavia began, before noticing that he was kindly presenting his hand to her. She blushed like never before, and put her fingers between his thumb and index finger. He smiled even more, and slowly pulled her up. She stood on her feet, and he welcomed her into her arms. They stood in this position for few moments in deep silence. Neither Flavia nor Caddan knew what to say. Surprisingly, it was a tiny human voice that broke the silence between the two nekos.

"Here Flavia, we completely filled our food reserve. Now, don't waste it for that sick neko who'll probably die today or tomorrow." It was Kyle, his arms filled with berries. He never noticed that Flavia was between the arms of the dark neko – who was himself standing, very much alive. Flavia waited for her tiny friend to notice Caddan, smiling with full teeth. She glanced briefly at Caddan, giving him a look that told him to stay still. She did not want him trying to go after Kyle or Ryan again. Seeing her look, he smiled back and then turned to face Kyle, waiting for the human to notice him.

The little human, concentrating on his work, walked to the food reserve. Huffing and puffing, he carefully stored the berries with exaggerated effort. "Thank you for helping so much, Flavia!" he yelled, still storing berries in the reserve, completely focused on his work. Sounding very put upon, he continued, "We could've finished this a while ago with your help, being so huge and all, you know?" Flavia had to stop herself from giggling at his antics. He did the same thing so often, it had become a habit, but it never ceased being cute. Kyle waited for her to answer, but she only continued to smile, looking at his little form working so hard. "Nevermind, I finished."

Then he looked back towards the forest and yelled, "Oy, Ryan! Hurry your fat arse, man!"

"Screw you!" came a response from the forest. "I'm carrying a lot more than you."

Kyle sighed and turned back to go see what Flavia was doing. That was when he noticed Caddan and Flavia, both smiling at him. Kyle froze in place, eyes wide, mouth open. "Oh damn, freaking hell of a shit..."

Flavia did not have time to tell him to calm down before Ryan made his own appearance, arms full of berries. "There, there! No need to scream at me, Kyle! See? I'm here now." Ryan walked over to the reserve. When he realized his friend had not answered, he asked, "Hey, did you hear me?" He turned to see what Kyle was doing.

He saw his friend, standing utterly still, his face a mask of fear. Ryan looked past and then he saw what had caused such a reaction. The dark neko who had almost eaten them was standing with Flavia in his arms. He was standing. Ryan took a moment to contemplate that fact.

"Holy shit! He's going to eat us! Argh!" Ryan took off like a streak into the forest, not even seeing Kyle as he ran past. Berries went everywhere.

Flavia, seeing him flee, laughed and whispered to Caddan, "Don't move... I won't be long. Don't you dare scare Kyle." She then got on her four paws and quickly ran to the forest, giving chase. As she jumped over Kyle, she said, "Stay there, Kyle honey!" With that, she leapt around the small bush Ryan had run under and began her hunt.

It lasted only few seconds. Kyle heard some giggles coming from Flavia and then the princess let out a victorious, "Got you!"

Ryan's reply was not long in coming. Kyle heard him screaming and yelling for Flavia to put him down and let him go. The screams grew in volume as Flavia brought him back to Kyle and Caddan. She stepped back around the bush, calmly walking on her four paws with a frantically wiggling Ryan, whose shirt was trapped between her fangs.

"Please Flavia! Don't give me to him! I thought you loved me!" Ryan was carrying on like a madman. Even Kyle was surprised. Flavia kept smiling, somewhat enjoying his struggles to escape. She winked down at Kyle.

Setting Ryan down next to his friend, she said, "Calm down, Ryan. Caddan won't hurt you, I promise."

As soon as his feet hit the ground, Ryan ran between Flavia's arms. He made it to her feet before her tail quickly coiled around him.

Gasping in surprise, Ryan struggled once more, letting out a wail. Her tail lifted him and brought him around to her front. Flavia held him briefly in the air before lowering him to the ground, this time setting him down upon his back. When she noticed he was trying to get up to run away again, she pinned him gently with her hand, trapping his whole body under her palm, only allowing his head to be between two of her fingers to allow him to breathe. Even restrained, he still struggled and fought.

"Now listen, Ryan. I promise that you're not going to be hurt. You aren't going to be eaten. You know I'd never let anything happen to you. Give Caddan a chance to explain himself, please Ryan!"

Ryan's answer was to continue to squirm under her palm. Flavia was beginning to worry that he was going to hurt himself. Not letting him up, she leaned her head very close to his.

"Calm down, Ryan. Please, promise me you won't run away. You know I love you. Do it for me, Ryan honey..." She bent her hand down and shoved her lips between her two fingers where Ryan's head was. She kissed him softly, her idea being to calm him down. It worked.

For Ryan, being so near Flavia's chest was indeed a dream. And now that she was kissing him with her full pink lips, his body literally went limp. Breathing heavily, he tried to calm himself. When she pulled her lips away - looking at him with her emerald eyes full of hope - he smiled up at her. With a shaky voice he said, "Okay Flavia, I'll do it... for you. I love you."

"Thank you sweetie." She smiled back at him and raised her hand from his body. She helped him stand on his wobbly legs, supporting him until he could walk on his own. Ryan walked over to Kyle, giving his friend a sheepish smirk. Flavia followed them and nose-poked them both to push them closer to Caddan. Kyle was accepting the situation much better than Ryan. She was happy that they were making this effort for her.

Caddan stood still, watching with some amusement as Flavia herded her two humans up to him. Realizing he needed to make a good impression, he slowly lowered himself into a crouch, sitting back lightly on the balls of his feet. Ryan and Kyle both kept their eyes focused firmly on him as they drew near. When they were close enough for him to reach out and touch, he asked, "So you two are friends of Flavia?"

Kyle nodded. Ryan, who had his back pressed firmly against Flavia's muzzle, said, "You better not try to eat us. Flavia'll tear you up."

Chuckling at the tiny human's threat, Caddan replied, "I wouldn't do that to her friends. In fact, while I'm here, I will do my best to see that you come to no harm."

With a dubious expression, Kyle asked, "You're going to protect us?"

"Yes I am."

"Well, I don't trust you."

"Neither do I," Ryan said.

Flavia started to say something when Caddan reached down towards Kyle and Ryan. She held her tongue when she saw he was only extending his finger to them and his claws were not out. Both humans looked at the hand before them in fear. A single swipe followed by a gulp and they would be done for.

"Upon my honour, I swear to you that as long as I stay with you, I will neither harm nor allow harm to come to any of you." Seeing that neither human was making a move to shake his finger, he added, "Among my kind, this is how we seal our agreements. We take such agreements very seriously."

Flavia whispered, "Please do this for me?"

Ryan glanced up at his beautiful neko princess. "You really trust him, Flavia?"

She nodded. "I do."

Ryan said nothing for a long moment before he turned back to face Caddan. "Alright then. I trust you too, but only because Flavia does."

Not to be outdone, Kyle said, "That goes for me too. And if you ever try to hurt her, we'll... do something nasty to you."

"I'd as soon cut my hand off as do anything to hurt her."

Flavia blushed furiously at Caddan's words. Trying to hide it, she brushed her hair around, allowing it to cover part of her face. "Let's find somewhere more comfortable to talk."

Offering her hand to Ryan and Kyle, she took them to the base of the tree she called home. Caddan followed along, a million thoughts flowing through his mind. Seeing Flavia from behind caused his breath to quicken and his heart to thump in his chest. He had never seen a neko so beautiful before. And she was talking to him. She trusted him. He made a silent prayer that we would not say anything offensive. It had been a long time since he had had any company and even when he had been with his friends, they had tended to be a little... crass.

Once they sat and began talking, Caddan first apologized to Ryan and Kyle. Although he saw them as little more than walking meals, they obviously meant a great deal to Flavia. It was very strange speaking to humans as though they were friends. The two stayed next to her the whole time, either hugging or rubbing her soft skin. Caddan had to fight down a nascent feeling of jealousy. There was no way he would be jealous of a mere human. No way.

With Flavia's coaxing and Caddan's calm demeanour, both humans slowly began to relax their guard. They even went so far as to sit down a short distance from Flavia - well away from Caddan still, but at least it was progress.

When Caddan began telling them his story, Flavia was enthralled. She had always wanted to be part of a group of friends. That had never been possible in the palace. She was allowed to meet with a select few people, most of whom she had wanted nothing to do with. Aside from Arminia, her servant, she had never considered any of them friends. She remembered days when she would look down from her window at the other nekos, so free to do as they pleased.

Caddan's tales were not all full of fun and joy. He spoke of his family's constant fight against hunger. They had lived in a very poor area where life was difficult. Some days, if things did not go well, the whole family went without food. His father, a brute of a neko who brooked no insolence from anyone, would often take out his anger on Caddan. His mother was unable to help, since she would wind up being beaten herself if she tried to intervene. After one such beating, Caddan had begged her never to do so again. He could endure the abuse for them both. After a time, he began spending more and more time away from home. That suited his father just fine.

He told them of his eventual departure from home, of his tearful goodbye to his mother, of the friends he had made once he struck out on his own. Trying to stay in a happy mood, he picked out only the good memories to speak about after that.

Flavia kept asking questions about his friends, what they did, where they went, and how they lived. Caddan did his best to answer. He tried to avoid mentioning his abysmal hunting skills. He also tried to steer clear of any mention that his friends had beaten and banished him because of that. Unfortunately, Flavia had a very keen instinct for discerning evasion. Life in the palace required it.

Pinning Caddan down with pointed question after pointed question, she finally persuaded him to tell them about his terrible luck at hunting. He was unable to keep the emotion from his voice when he described his friends cornering him one day after an unsuccessful hunt. It had all happened so quickly. Then he found himself alone with no one to call on for help. None of his old friends cared to see him again.

Flavia had scooted closer to him when he talked about his thoughts of suicide. Even Ryan and Kyle appeared saddened when they heard of his troubles. Caddan's heart nearly leapt from his body in joy when Flavia reached over to take his hand. That tender moment almost worth the pain and suffering he had gone through before.

Kyle, who had been sitting on the ground between Flavia and Caddan, stood and walked over to the dark neko. Very carefully, he reached up to touch Caddan's knee. The understanding look that passed between the two was slightly tarnished when Ryan harrumphed, sitting down hard upon Flavia's thigh.

Emboldened by Caddan's friendliness, Kyle asked if the neko planned to stay with them for long. He truthfully replied he had no idea. It was, he said, all up to them. If Flavia wished him to leave, he would do so. If she wished him to stay, he would.

When Ryan gave out an exaggerated yawn, which caused Flavia to yawn herself, Caddan had begged off more talk. He claimed he was still in a weakened state and so needed to sleep. She had smiled back at him knowingly, reaching over to give him a quick hug. He tried to ignore the quiet grumbling from Ryan, who was still sitting on Flavia's thigh at the time. She remained next to him even after the hug ended.

When it became obvious she was not going to get up to leave, Caddan laid back, tucking his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. He heard some whispering from Ryan, who protested Flavia's desire to stay with Caddan during the night. She shushed him by giving him a kiss. Oh, how Caddan wished he could have been in Ryan's place. He would not have minded being as small as a human if it meant Flavia would kiss him.

When both humans began begging Flavia to let them stay, Caddan had to stop himself from chuckling. He could understand their reluctance to leave. Putting up only a mild argument, she finally gave in to them. He smiled when she told them to be very careful since Caddan was not used to sleeping with tinies and thus might squish them. That set off Ryan, who claimed the dark neko would probably do it and make it look like an accident. Another lingering kiss from Flavia settled that dispute. Caddan had a sneaking suspicion Ryan acting up was on purpose. And he did not blame the tiny human one bit. He tried to think of some way he could earn a kiss of his own from her.

A short time later, Caddan fell asleep feeling Flavia's warm body next to his own. She was curled up facing him, while her two tiny friends stayed in the area between them, next to her belly. His last thoughts were of the marvellous view those two must have...


***

The next day...

Caddan awoke to discover Flavia and the two humans were already up. He stood up slowly, stretching his arms and legs. Walking over to the three, he heard his name being spoken by Ryan. "Good morning," he offered.

"You almost rolled over on me last night," Ryan immediately replied.

Shaking his head, Caddan reached down to tussle the human's hair, much to Ryan's disgust. "If I did that, I'm sorry."

Flavia gave him a cheery smile while Ryan fussed about having to fix his hair again, muttering to himself.

"You look much better this morning."

"All thanks to you. I feel like my old self again, except..."

"What is it?"

"You've been more than kind, feeding me these nourishing fruits while I was sick, but... Don't you have any meat to eat?"

Ryan jumped up. "See! I told you he wanted to eat us!"

Flavia giggled, picking him up gently but firmly with one hand. He squirmed until he realized she was bringing him in for another kiss. He held his hands out wide while Flavia nuzzled him.

"Oh, Ryan. Don't be so silly. He isn't going to eat you." Her soft, warm breath across his body was like a heavenly breeze.

Ryan reached out to hug her pink lips. "I'm sorry Flavia."

Kyle snorted. "You're sorry alright."

"It's okay. Just try to be nice. I want all of us to get along, alright? Can you do that for me? Please?"

"I'll try." Ryan seemed contrite enough. Nevertheless, he gave Caddan a look that said it was not over between them.

Flavia reached down to pick up Kyle, affording him the same treatment as Ryan. He laughed and cuddled against her cheek before she set them both down. "Why don't you two go eat your breakfast while Caddan and I talk?"

Both reluctantly agreed, not wishing to be separated from their princess, especially not with the dark neko giving her such lustful looks. Ryan made a point to stare at Caddan one last time before walking off to the food stores.

After they had moved away, he whispered, "Those two are... cute, in their own way. They really care about you."

Flavia grinned. She knew Ryan was showing all the signs of jealousy. It was cute in some ways, but she also felt a twinge of worry. She did not wish to see her friend hurt. At the same time, she found herself becoming more and more attracted to Caddan. Now that he was up and about, it was hard not to notice the way he carried himself. Where she was lithe and graceful, he was strong and quick - every action showed an economy of moment. His scars, far from detracting from his appeal, actually increased it. They gave him a certain rough edge Flavia found herself enjoying.

"You're hungry for meat?" she asked.

"Starving."

She walked up to Caddan on her four paws. "Let's go check my traps. I bet there are some tasty neeras in them by now."

"Traps?"

"Yes. Ryan and Kyle helped me make them. Ryan is quite the little trap maker."

"So, you're saying that you catch neeras by... trapping them?" he asked, both concerned and surprised.

Flavia nodded. "Yep! It's much easier than hunting, I think."

Caddan laughed. "Do you even know how to hunt, miss?"

Flavia felt a flush of anger at his comment, and looked away, unhappy and slightly blushing.

Noticing that he had offended her, he leaned forward to stroke his cheek against her left shoulder. Her skin was so unbelievably soft. "Sorry... I didn't mean-"

"Yes you did," Flavia cut him off abruptly.

Caddan smiled. "Well, how do you want to be a real neko if you can't hunt down some little neeras? Without using traps, I mean?"

Flavia gazed at him with eyes that were growing angrier by the moment. "What's wrong with using traps?"

"Haven't you ever played chase with your little friends, at least?"

"Of course we have, but that's not hunting. That's for fun."

"Hunting can be fun too. I can't believe I've found a neko who doesn't know how to hunt. Why haven't you tried?"

"Maybe because no one ever taught me how?"

"I can," he said, without thinking. Only after he said the words did he realize their meaning. How could he possibly teach her to hunt when he was such a miserable failure at it himself? It was the reason his own friends had kicked him out - the reason he was off by himself, alone.

Flavia, knowing exactly what he was thinking, grinned and sat cat-like on the ground. "Well, show me then, oh mighty hunter," she said with a teasing stare.

Caddan looked back at her and rubbed the ground with his claws. His discomfort was obvious just by looking at him. It brought back an errant memory of him being caught one day sneaking a peek at one of his female friends when she was bathing. "I, eh..."

"Yes?" asked Flavia, walking close to him. "You what?"

"N-nothing." Caddan gulped and looked at the horizon. Then, he loudly inhaled and pounded his fist into his chest. "Imma show you how to hunt."

Flavia smiled at seeing Caddan regaining confidence. It was all part of her plan. First, she wanted him to get back his lost skills since they seemed to have disappeared without any reasons. There was no way a neko as trim and fit as he could be such a failure at hunting. Secondly, it was also a good occasion for her to learn how to hunt. His words had stung her, because they were true. She should have at least tried to learn before now. The problem was, the traps made it too easy. She knew that because Caddan was trying to impress her, he would make a real effort in her training. So in effect, she would kill two birds with one stone.

Seeing that he was ready to go, she moved forward, inviting Caddan to follow her. Flavia's swaying tail was enough to make him follow her anywhere, even if he did not know what she was doing since she wanted him to teach her how to hunt.

A few minutes later, they arrived at a little glade. There, suspended in the air, attached to a high branch with a rope, was a rectangle cage with bars made of wood. Inside the cage was - Caddan smelled it - was one little mouse girl who had fallen asleep.

"What are you doing?" whispered Caddan to Flavia who was cautiously creeping up to the cage.

"Shhh," she replied with a finger over her lips. She reached up to the cage and slowly opened it by unlocking a little lock. She gently grabbed the little sleeping neera with her slender fingers. The neera awoke with a start, tensing and scrambling to escape her grasp. Flavia held still until the struggling stopped. Then she opened her palm and walked back at Caddan, looking at the little neera directly in her eyes. "Hello there, tasty." She moistened her lips.

Immediately sensing the danger she was in, the neera tried to squirm away once more, but Flavia closed her fingers just in time to pin her tail. The neera squeaked in protest.

"There, there, there, what's your name little one?" she asked with delighted eyes.

"M-M-Muna... Please put me down!" the neera begged.

"Oh, don't worry about that. Look, I'll free you right now," she said with a kind smile.

"W-what?" the neera asked in disbelief.

"I said I'd free you."

A sudden fit of anger came over Muna. "Y-you're lying to me! You just want me to think that so you can tease me."

"I do like to tease, it's true, but not when I'm eating. Do you think I'd bother to ask your name if I meant to eat you?"

Muna looked back in confusion. She had been terrified for almost a whole day while being stuck in the trap, knowing what would happen in the end. And now the very neko who set the trap was saying she was going to let her go? It did not make any sense. "I dunno. Maybe you just like being cruel to your food. If some giant grabbed you and was about to eat you, how would you feel?"

Flavia sighed. Talking with neeras was always a bad idea. Eating such tasty morsels was supposed to be enjoyable, but when they begged or pleaded, it made her feel terrible. She did not like thinking of herself as cruel. She simply did what came natural and that was that. Normally, she did not give them time to start up, preferring to eat them quickly and be done with it. "I already said I'm going to let you go. That wasn't a lie. I'm also telling you now that I won't eat you. I promise."

It took Muna a moment to absorb this. "You really mean it?" She allowed herself to relax in the predator's grip.

"Yep. I always keep my word, even to scrumptious neeras like you. Now listen carefully, little Muna. When I put you down on the ground, I want you to run like crazy to get away from us. Okay?"

"Okay. But if you're not going to eat me..." Muna's voice trailed off as she looked over to Caddan. Her eyes widened in realization. "I-is he g-going to eat m-me instead?"

Flavia grinned. "I'm going to give you plenty of time to get away. After that, if Caddan finds you, he'll probably eat you up like the tasty morsel you are."

Muna gulped as she looked over Caddan. She did not think it would be easy to escape such a strong looking neko. Surely he was a better hunter than the female. "C-can you get him to promise not to eat me too?" she asked hopefully.

Flavia giggled at the audacity of the neera. Muna might be afraid, but she still kept her head enough to ask something even Flavia had not anticipated. "I'm afraid not. You see, he's supposed to be teaching me to hunt. It wouldn't be much of a hunt if you knew you were completely safe. This way, you have a lot of incentive to really try not to get caught. Don't worry though; we're going to give you plenty of time to run away."

Muna did not like the neko's logic. She looked from the male back to the female several times. This was not going to be easy. Putting on her bravest face, she declared, "Alright. You aren't going to catch me."

"That's the spirit," Flavia said. She was beginning to like this feisty little neera.

She gently put Muna down and gave her a little tap on her back. Quickly, the neera ran into the forest, not believing her luck. She had survived a neko... two nekos, in fact. Now all she had to do was to not get caught.

Once the neera was well out of sight, Caddan asked, "Flavia, are you sure about this?" The longer the neera was able to run, the less likely he was sure of being able to catch her.

"Isn't it simple?" she said with a playful look. Seeing the question in his gaze, she giggled and explained to him, "Come on, Caddan. You'll use her to show me how to hunt," the lighting of apprehension crossed Caddan's eyes. Flavia smiled, and continued, "I know you can do it. Just give her some time to get away a bit," she winked at him. "We don't want to make this too easy for you."

"And what are we going to do while it's running away?"

Flavia grinned, and gazed in his eyes with a sensuous look. "Well you could..." She grabbed him by his shoulder and pulled close to him. He could feel her breasts pressing against his chest. Flavia stroked his nose with her index finger and slightly parted her lips. Caddan felt a hot flush wash over his skin. Was she about to kiss him? "You could... give my feet a massage!" she said with a laugh. Stepping back from him, her tail swished around to brush against his belly enticingly.

Caddan felt hopeless. This girl could control him so easily.

"Close your eyes and turn around," she ordered.

"What?"

"Close your eyes and turn around," she repeated.

"Why?"

"So you won't catch the neera that easily. I told her I wouldn't make this easy on you and I meant it." Seeing his hesitation, she smiled widely. "Come on, do it for me."

Caddan smiled back at her and did as she asked. He spun around several times before he reopened his eyes. He waited few seconds to regain his balance and then concentrated. Now was the time to show Flavia his worth. While he was concentrating, Flavia sat cat-like on the ground and waited for him to show her the way.

"First of all, use your ears to listen for any unusual sounds," he told her.

It was his first lesson. Flavia smiled and perked up her ears, listening carefully. She easily traced the neera, who had just then passed through a bush a short distance away. She was not making good time.

"Now, run towards it. Keep your ears wide open."

Flavia listened intently, following Caddan's second lesson. Quickly, he ran through the forest, in the same direction the little neera had gone earlier. Flavia followed him, still hearing the little neera trying to escape.

"Use your nose to get a more precise idea of where the meal is."

This was the third lesson. Flavia sniffed the air, still running. She caught the scent of the neera. Saliva immediately coated in her mouth. The smell was delicious.

"Run faster until you catch sight of your prey. Be sure to stay as quiet as possible."

Flavia smiled at the fourth lesson. This was much easier than she thought it would be. Caddan increased his speed. Flavia followed him. Being slender and light, she could have run faster than the dark neko, but decided to let him stay in the lead since he was her teacher. Then, she caught sight of the neera. The little mouse girl had run behind a tree. Caddan used a shortcut and he was now very close to his prey. Muna, noticing the two nekos chasing right behind her, squeaked in fear. She tried to dart into a small burrow, but it was too late.

"Hit the prey to knock it over with your hand," Caddan said. This was his fifth and final lesson. He gave Muna a small push from behind with his right hand and the neera rolled on the ground. She tried to stand and run away, but Caddan pinned her in place. He was so proud of himself. He had finally captured a neera. It seemed the last time he captured prey been ages ago. He looked behind him, to see Flavia was smiling back at him with a huge grin on her face. It hit him then like a jolt through the heart: he had completely fallen in love with her.

"You caught her, Caddan!" Flavia exclaimed, putting her hand on his shoulders.

A muffled yell of protest came from the neera. Both nekos ignored it. "Y-yes..." he said, barely noticing that it was because of her that he succeeded. Caddan grabbed the neera and lifted her in the air, right in front of Flavia. He blushed "I-it's f-for you..."

"For me?" Flavia cocked her head "Oh! No, no, no, Caddan. You caught her, so she's all yours! And what will you eat after?"

"F-fruits... I don't mind... Please Flavia, I insist..."

"What about my promise to her?" she asked, licking her lips.

"Oh..."

"Yes?"

"Did you really mean that? I mean, it's just a neera."

"Hey! What about me?" Muna screamed. "Hey! Put me down! She promised not to eat me, she promised!" The neera was crying in earnest at the nekos' cruel deception.

Caddan stared into Flavia's eyes, looking for a sign, anything that might tell him what to do. She was keeping her face impassive while her eyes gazed back into his. What should he do? In the past, he had rarely given his word to anyone. It was not wise to be beholden to such things. However, when he had done so, he always tried to keep his word, and thus his honour. It did not take too many lies to destroy a reputation. He may have lost all his old friends through his failures, but he still had his honour.

Teasingly, he held Muna up by her tail in front of Flavia. The golden haired neko's eyes zeroed in on the neera. Her eyes dilated. He could smell her excitement. He knew she was tempted.

Muna violently squirmed in protest. "Let me go! Please!" she pleaded. "You promised!"

"Flavia?"

"Hmm?" She stubbornly refused to open her mouth.

Slowly, he lowered Muna, who was crying and sobbing in terror. "You won't eat it? It's my gift to you."

With a twinkle in her eyes, Flavia replied, "It isn't that I don't like your gift. It's actually very sweet of you. I did, however, promise her that I wouldn't eat her."

"But it's just a neera."

"A promise is a promise to me, whether I make it to a neko, human, or yes, even a neera."

Something inside Caddan was gladdened to hear her say the words. He lifted the now limp neera up to his face. When she saw his mouth drawing near, she renewed her struggling, frantically pulling at her tail to try to escape.

"Muna, was it?" Caddan looked carefully at her tiny features, noting her blonde hair, which was strikingly reminiscent of Flavia's own. Her face was rounder and her features less developed than the neko's. He briefly thought how good she would taste before carefully lowering her and setting her upon the ground.

The neera was too stunned to move, sitting down on her behind in startlement.

Flavia said, "I thought you were going to eat her?"

"I was. But since, you promised her you wouldn't do so..." Caddan glanced down at the panting neera. "That goes for me as well."

Flavia stepped forward to pull his unresisting head down. She gave him the briefest of kisses. It was like heaven. He tried to deepen the kiss, but she pulled back teasingly. "If that's settled, then what would you say about another hunting lesson? A real one."

"Right now?"

"Well, you were hungry and I'm a little hungry myself. Why don't we try to find some neeras we can eat, hmm?"

Muna, still sitting on the ground below the two nekos, looked up with mixed emotions. She was going to live. After all this, she was going to live. The way the two nekos spoke of casually eating her own kind angered her. But she was going to live, that was the important thing.

As if sensing the neera's thoughts, Flavia glanced down at her. "You should run along now, Muna. It's not safe when the nekos are out hunting."

Muna stood and nodded. "What's your name?" She was not sure why she asked.

Flavia dropped down on all fours in front of her. "My name's Flavia." When the neera continued to stand, legs locked together, Flavia giggled and nosed gently into her. "You really do smell delicious."

Muna felt a warm flush over her body. This golden haired neko was so deadly and yet... She shook herself. What was she thinking? Risking one last glance up at the darker male neko, Muna took off like a streak through the underbrush, not bothering to remain quiet. She wanted to put some distance between her and the two predators. She had a lot to think about what had just happened.

Caddan chuckled. Even the neeras were susceptible to her beauty. "I think she liked you."

Giggling in excitement and winking at him, Flavia swished her tail under his chin. "Let's hunt." With that, she turned and ran off into the forest, Caddan chasing close behind.

The hunt, he soon learned, was as much about keeping up with Flavia as it was trying to catch the scent of any neeras. The golden haired neko was incredibly nimble, leaping over shrubs and bushes easily. Caddan found it was taking most of his running ability to try not to fall behind. In the open spaces, he would close the distance, using his greater strength and speed. Then Flavia, hearing him catching up, would change direction and dart off before he could recover. He had the impression she was toying with him, letting him stay just close enough to tantalize him.

Before long, Caddan had forgotten all his troubles. Panting from exertion, smiling in joy, his only thought was to catch Flavia so she would kiss him again. He was unprepared when she stopped suddenly. Lurching to the side to keep from slamming into her, his ears perked up at her intense expression. They both heard the nearby sound of prey.

Grinning at each other, they crept slowly forward into a dense area of vines. Taking care not to make any noise, they saw a pair of neeras digging up something in the ground.

Caddan tapped Flavia's shoulder to draw her attention. Without speaking, he made a circling motion with his hands. A smiling Flavia nodded, sitting back on her legs to wait.

Caddan carefully made his way back the way they had come, then circled around. When he was sure of his position, he deliberately made a loud hissing sound and stomped through the vines towards the neeras.

As expected, both neeras took off in a blind panic - straight into Flavia's waiting hands.

Snatching them both off the ground, Flavia gave out a victorious yell, "Gotcha!"

Walking forward, she met Caddan and handed him the squirming neeras. He took the offered meals, but instead of slurping them down, he held one of tiny creatures above Flavia's eyes.

She giggled at his action, playing along to see what he would do. Opening her mouth, she tilted her head, stuck out her tongue, and closed her eyes.

The neera, seeing what was to come, began screaming, "No! No! Don't eat me! Please!"

Those were his last words, as Caddan quickly lowered him into Flavia's mouth. The princess closed her lips at the base of his tail, and she let out a soft moan of satisfaction as she began to taste, wetting the neera with her saliva. She slurped in his squirming tail and partially opened her eyes, sloshing the neera around with an obvious motion.

She glanced at Caddan, who, looking at her, was fascinated by her beauty. Flavia slowly swallowed, making a faint gulp. Even more slowly, a little bulge passed down her slender neck, sending the neera towards her awaiting stomach.

Then she held her hand out to Caddan, indicating the other neera he was holding. He handed the prey over, thinking that perhaps Flavia was more hungry than she had let on. Surprise lit his face when Flavia took the neera and held it out, just above his eyes.

Letting out a hearty laugh, he tilted his head back and opened his mouth. Unlike Flavia, he did not close his eyes. He noticed she kept her fingers over the neera's mouth, preventing her from screaming. He would have to remember that little trick.

Flavia dropped the neera at the last moment and they both heard a pitiable scream before Caddan closed his lips - catching the very tips of Flavia's fingers. She giggled when she felt him sucking on them lightly. Pulling back and blushing, she stood to watch as he sloshed the neera around before swallowing. He patted his belly, feeling the neera squirming inside.

Flavia giggled, and, once again, gave him a sensuous look. The next moments were the best of Caddan's life. Flavia stepped up lightly, putting her feet atop his, giving her a couple extra inches in height. She then grabbed the back of his head and pulled it towards her. She pressed her lips on his. At first, Caddan was completely panicked. He did not know how to answer her kiss. This was not the brief, chaste kiss from before. This was passionate, deep, and completely out of his experience. His eyes widened as the first seconds of the kiss passed. Flavia did not let him go and she continued kissing him with her tender, pink lips. Eventually, his body relaxed and he closed his eyes in bliss. He rubbed his hand on her shoulder. He felt a smile on her lips as she continued to kiss him. Flavia then circled her arms around his neck and pulled his head fiercely to hers, pressing her lips even more tightly against his. The moment seemed to last forever. It was if he had died again, there was no distinction between time and space. There was only he and - this time - Flavia. Nothing else mattered. It was the first time in his life he had ever fallen in love with someone. No one back home would ever have believed a beauty such as Flavia would have anything to do with him. And yet, here she was, passionately kissing him.

The kiss continued, eternal, unstoppable - neither wanted to break it. Finally, Flavia's tummy growled, causing a muffled laugh to escape from between their lips. Turning away bashfully, she covered her mouth with one hand. Caddan tried to lean forward for another kiss, but she pushed at his lips with one finger. He playfully nibbled the offered digit.

Smiling, Flavia stepped up again. Thinking she wished to continue her glorious kiss, he was caught completely off guard when she placed one foot behind his and deftly pushed him back. He fell on his behind with a grunt. Before he could recover, Flavia lowered herself astride his waist, tightening those wonderful legs of hers against his body. With two hands on his chest, she bent over him to look into his eyes.

When she began giggling, he looked down to see tiny bulges on her otherwise flat tummy. The neera inside was trying desperately to escape. She grasped one of his hands and pulled it to her belly. He felt the warmth, the softness, and even the tiny struggles of the prey within. With a tiny motion, she tugged his hand higher.

Caddan was astonished when she laid his hand on her bosom. He felt himself growing aroused at the sight of her sitting on him. She had him completely under her control.

Placing her hands on his shoulders, she leaned her face down just above his. He tried to align their lips again, but she darted to the side to lick sensuously across his cheek. Slowly, so slowly he thought he would die, her lips moved across his once more. With both hands now on her gorgeous breasts and his mouth working softly against hers, Caddan closed his eyes. If he died today, he would at least die a happy neko.

Suddenly, she sat up on his belly again, and quickly pulled her top off, allowing him to view her breasts in all their glory. Caddan gulped. She quickly leaned back down to him, urgently wanting to kiss him and, between two kisses, she whispered, "Imma make this day unforgettable for you."

Caddan did not know what she meant, since it was already unforgettable for him. However, he quickly got his answer as she lifted up in order to untie her small skirt, tossing it casually to the side. The lustful gaze she gave him left no doubt what she intended.

Caddan smiled. He was in heaven. He felt like a little neera caught in the grasp of a hungry predator. Not that he minded at all, not when it was Flavia.

Flavia... he repeated her name in his mind. He would never forget the love he felt for her this day. Never.