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.