The first thing I saw when the door slid open was a prison cell. It had all the markings of frequent use. Wide variety of devices I should not name out loud, stood menacingly in three corners of the cell. The same pale torches that were in a corridor below us illuminated the place with their dead hollow light. Apart from one lousy table and 2 wooden chairs, there was no space where you could look and with full conscience say it looked fine. In the last remaining corner was something that had fully drawn my and furrys attention. Two slender legs with clearly visible buttocks were in full view, shining their sweaty surface at me and my long tailed friend. We could not see the face of the girl since she was trapped in some kind of pillory. It looked exactly like those that were used in medieval times to cage offenders and apart from flogging, I bet people were also using them on criminals with potato or tomato throwing contests.

There was something else that was also in plain view. As you already know, I have already picked up a kind of a doggy person, so I was not as surprised as I was the first time I saw a tail sticking from someones back. This girl had a tail too. A long, black, slender cats tail. I believe, freeing her would be a good way to gather some information, but before that, I believe I should address another matter.

I turned my head to where the table and chairs were. Whether I liked it or not, my hands and jaw clenched. My anger was rising fast. Explanation would take to long so I'll just say that I do not see myself as a righteous or a just person. In domain of black and white I understand that there should be a degree of gray to maintain balance in things. However, although I do not remember who I am or what kind of life I lived, I want to believe that I have always striven to be a good person. Of course, it isn't always possible but I want to think it is still a kind of resolution I kept as a goal. If I saw a murderer I would report him. If I saw a rape, I would do what I could to stop it and right now what was making me very, very angry was a single guy whose pants were down and his junk fully on attention. It was obvious what would happen if we came even a minute later. The guy was clearly a prison guard, but no matter what his role was, what he was about to do was unforgivable. I value cool head, reason and wits, but at that particular moment my emotions got the better of me. The second thing I hate the most in the world is forcing someone to do what you want. Forcing yourself on a girl, defenseless or not, brings me to an even grater rage. I wished for the guy to pay for his transgressions to be, even if had not yet commited them. At that moment I wanted, with all that I had for the guy to end up as a blob on the wall. Anger clouded my eyes and completely overtook my judgement.

This however, would end as one of the biggest mistakes I have ever done and would weight on me for a time to come. The man would die and I would never know if he actually was a criminal and if he would have ever followed with his intentions.

The moment my feelings took over my reason the guy was yanked with extraordinary force and literally sprawled on the wall. The pressure was so great that it splattered poor dude crushing every little bone he had, painting whole room with his blood and killing him instantly. I averted my eyes and cranked my head away with speed I thought I was incapable of. This situation was far too graphic for someone like me. I am not used to seeing gruesome, horror scenes. My head turned to the entrance of the cell wanting to go out and have a bit of fresh air before I puke whatever I had in my stomach, but there was no escape from this situation. Someone was already there. At the entrance stood a second guard and he was as much in a shock as I was. His eyes were traveling in rapid succession between me and his former colleague whose remains were still dripping from the wall.

"Umm..." As bad as the situation looked I didn't want to cause any misunderstandings. I still wasn't sure if that was my doing or some strange phenomenon completely unrelated to me. I raised my hand and tried to calm the guy in front but the only thing that left my lips was a stupid grunt. My mind came back to a relative rationality but my body still needed more time and the guy didn't wait for me to recover. The moment I raised my hand he made a run for it. He disappeared faster than I could say a thing.

"W-who's there?" A raspy voice resounded in the cell. It Looks like the girl caught up with what was happening. Well, it is no wonder as half of her body was splattered with blood. "Wha-what is going on?".

"Stay calm, sister, I shall free you in just a moment." Furry ears walked up to the table and picked up some rusty keys. They weren't the right ones though, so she grabbed the locks with her little hands and literally ripped them off of the pillory. I thought it was impossible but I remembered how her own chains broke apart. They must have been so rusty that they fell off with just little touch or the girl simply has superhuman strength. I would bet on the latter since otherwise the cat would free herself a long time ago. Anyway, angering that Short Stuff, is a quick way to end up in a grave. I was also interested why she showed no trace of shock or surprise at what happened. Maybe all those years in captivity desensitized her to cruelty. If that's true, then I could only pity her.

Cat girl was freed in no time. She was little taller than furry ears, but wasn't as emaciated.

"I am Malay, daughter of Kiara. My home is in the Forest of Spirits. What is your name and how come you are here dear sister?" Long Tails introduced herself to the cat girl, finally revealing her name. That's certainly progress. I made sure to keep myself away from them and not look at the sorry state they both were in. Unfortunately, that bloody display hit everyone and I was the only lucky person to get away scot-free. Also, I needed time to gather my bearings. Currently all my brain cells where trying to figure out if I was somehow responsibility for what happened. The cat girl lacked proper garments too, making her half naked and I wanted to uphold my own code of conduct as much as possible.

"You're the Lady of the Great Forest? But she disappeared almost seventy years ago! Are you really her?" Now, that i think about it, I think I am still in shock. I am having auditory hallucinations. She sure said seven years ago, right? It couldn't be seventy or short stuff would be a granny and she looks nothing like one.

"Yes. The very same. Do not worry, I am here now. Are you hurt anywhere?" Malay checked the girl for injuries. After she was done, she grabbed the cat into a tight hug and started stroking her black hair along with her cat ears. After few moments I heard some loud sobs. Looks like she had emotions that needed to be spilled out. It is no surprise as she barely escaped great harm, not to mention she could have had rough history before she even ended up in this dungeon. There sure is no place for a boorish guy like me there, so I moved to the entrance giving them some space.

After good twenty odd minutes, black haired girl calmed herself enough to have a coherent conversation. I have no idea how they managed till now with all their surroundings being what it was. Long Tails sure was a persuasive person to have a complete stranger open up in matter of seconds. More importantly, there was something that was occupying my thoughts. I readied myself for some kind of welcoming committee or at least for some new guards to walk down to us. I was already preparing to somehow talk my way out of this, but not a soul showed up yet, which gave me quite the bad premonition. In the meantime, the cat finally managed to talk a bit about herself.

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"I'm, March. Me and my little brother were traveling south. We left the Great Forest because of the war and were on our way to high mountains, where it is hard for humans to climb." She took a deep breath. Clearly she had trouble speaking about all of that. "Our grandparents are living in southern peeks along with most of our tribe. There are couple of ways to get there. We could cross demons territory or travel by sea, but demon roads are extremely dangerous and cat kin senses do not work very well when not on the ground. The only way left to us was to sneak through human lands. We chose to cross Holy Empire despite it hunting beast kin, It has the shortest route to the mountains. Traveling through other countries would take us a lot more time."

March dropped her head along with her ears. "We managed to sneak past most of the Empire. My brother and I were clever and never revealed our ears or tails. We kept to ourselves and stayed in cheap inns or in the wild. Trouble started when we were about to cross the town we are currently in. Townspeople call it lucky because it is close to the mountains full of resources, where you could get rich fast, but for us it was the most unlucky place in the world." She rose her head and kept going with her story. This cat is a far stronger girl than It would appear with just first look.

"Humans have a special unit of scouts called the Seekers. They are trained to recognize and catch people of non-human races. They are fanatical and cruel. Once they cought us, they took me and my brother to a magistrate building to turn us into slaves or worse." This is a very dark thing that I just heard. If humans use slavery as their bread and butter, then it would be difficult for me to find common ground with people of this world. Earth completely abolished slaver more than one hundred and fifty years ago. This world however, could very well be in one of its darkest ages.

"Lady Malay, please I beg you!" Cat Ears went on all fours with her head plastered to the ground right before Shorty who was practically wearing rags stained with years of caged dwelling.They were really filthy and they reeked. It isn't an exaggeration to say she could be smelled from miles away. Cat girl didn't care, she was loudly sobbing and begging. Her hands were clutching those rags with all that she had. "Please, my lady. You are the great Witch of the Forest. With your power there is still hope to save my brother. I'll do anything, please, save him!" At that moment Short Stuff looked at me with a very calculative eyes. I already said that you do not have to call me a genius but this was far too obvious. This girl was thinking ways of how to wrap me up in this mess.

"March, sister, I am in a very weakened state. It would take me several weeks if not months to return to my original form. My power is not lost, but I need time to recuperate. I shan't be able to offer help yet."

At those words cat ears hung her head and tears started to flow along her little face. Quite sobs penetrated my ears and at the same time all of my hastily gathered defenses. Long Tails did not stop drilling her turquoise eyes into me, probing for any kind of weakness. I know what she was doing. But I will not go down without a fight. She might think she is a clever little fox, but I am an adult and she is not.

After few seconds of our little mental brawl Furry Ears turned her attention back to the cat kin and calmly said. "I might have said that, but not all is yet lost. Do not loose hope, for we are not alone." March lifted her head and peered into Furrys eyes which in turn focused all of their attention on me. Previously, this cats brain must have been overwhelmed and in quite the shock, but now that time has passed. Inevitably this young girls eyes followed suit.

Her face paled with green the moment she saw me. It made me quite uncomfortable. I am no prince charming, there is no denying that. I was never very popular, I think? Although, that reaction really drives home how people see me. Moreover, it's not the first time. Even that runaway guard paled when he looked at my face. This is so sad. Those statues few floors below us were unsightly, but maybe I have more in common with them, than with normal people.

Jokes aside, cat girl just jumped to my feet and started bawling madly.

"Y-your l-l-lordship!" Your what? Cat Ears clutched the hem of my cloak with her hands the same way she did with Shortys rags and started babbling incoherently. Foam filled her mouth and her eyes were slowly moving up to the back of her head. This was a disturbing sight. Thankfully, Long Tails came to the rescue and placed a hand on poor girls shoulder. She also placed a second hand on her back. I couldn't know what she was doing exactly, but I guess she was giving her some needed comfort and support.

"March, calm yourself. Breath deeply, focus on my voice and my hand. I shall give you strength to stand unhindered. It's only temporary, but will allow you to convey your plea." This girl was truly incredible, but I shouldn't omit that it was mainly her fault that it came to this. After few deep breaths color returned to cat kins face. There were still tears running down her cheeks, though.

"M-m-most es-esteemed l-lordship. Please! H-help us!" I cast a quick glance at Furry Ears. She was wearing a triumphant smile, which gave me a pause. This little sneak played me well. I admit, I've been had. She got me good. I kept my face a stone mask, yet she still managed to figure out that I am weak to tears. Also... I really do not want to end up as 'l-lord', so let's just show my card of a grown up and finish this.

I focused my attention on catnip which immediately shut her up. I studied her face for a bit and decided to show her that I was acknowledging her and have taken things seriously. So, I followed by putting a hand on her other shoulder. Catnip had the same out of common sense, type of ears like the Long Tails brat. However, cat type was less furry and the tail was a lot more slender and not that bushy. She had fair, little brownish skin, like Caucasians after catching a tan. Her hair were black and cut short. Lips were rather wide, making me remember about Cheshires cat mad smile and her canines were prominent enough to fill the whole picture. Her pointy nose sported a rather impressive snot so I would rather not comment much about it. Eyes were teary but there was determination and fire in them. It was clear she was ready to do literally everything possible to save her brother. As most cats she was slender and her moves were flexible. Also, she had rather impressive... assets. I wanted to impress on the fact, that even with such terrible experience, she was still ready for sacrifices in order to save her family. I can't turn my eyes away from that. I looked deeply into her brown eyes and made a clear distinct nod. After that, I removed my hand from her shoulder and moved to the cells entrance. The moment I moved away she plopped to the ground breathing heavily. She must have really taken it hard. I am a man, and just some minutes ago she had a terrible experience with one. She still managed to overcome her fears and ask me for help. I have no other choice but to do what I can to help her out. Like any responsible adult would.

"Does that mean, his l-lordship will help?" It would be great if she dropped that doubled l. Otherwise she will be named and stay as Catnip. Also, its about time I talked to them.

"Yes, most likely. This person broke my chains and freed me." I do not remember ever breaking any chains. If I did, I would have to take responsibility for a needless death in this room too.

I took a deep breath which was a bad idea due to the smell of blood still lingering in the air and made steps to what I thought would be the direction of next floor.