Cat

“...She’s unconscious. Oh, Fox…!” 

All I can think to do is hold her close and hope it reaches her through whatever mental anguish she’s burdened with right now. It breaks my heart to see her struggling against all of that turmoil inside of her, but it’s at least starting to make sense to me now. 

“Those weren’t her words, Yombroila…”

I feel the goddess’ hand on my shoulder. Her grip is harder than I would have expected. Turning to face her, I see her once soft gaze has hardened into a stern glare. Is…is this the same goddess I’d just been speaking to?

“I can see that. I’ve seen this happen before. Years of repressing her true self, her trauma making her believe such would protect her. Contrary to this, the mental fortress forged of this trauma keeps her imprisoned within that which seeks to harm her. Truly a sad sight…” Even her voice has changed from the motherly air of before to take on a deeper, darker energy.  Finally, her firm grip releases my shoulder, and the goddess floats off to the side, hovering above Fox and I once again, “Which is why… I cannot trust her.”

“Wh… Huh…?” What is she getting at? My tail begins to swish back and forth in an agitated manner as I keep Fox close.

“She is volatile. She does not trust me. I cannot trust her. If I did, I would simply be repeating the cycle of my entrapment.” Her gaze stiffens into a glare, piercing through Fox, then myself. “Cat Kitten. I have done what I can to see that she begins the process of healing. I am hesitant to place my trust in others, but I must trust you at least. I can trust you, yes…? My child whom I’ve offered such a momentous gift to…?”

Her words sink into my skin like needles. So it was all an act…? I felt it before, as though she does truly care about us, and yet… I take a moment, staring up at her with a leer almost, before closing my eyes. It’s true, I can’t deny just how life changing her gift has been, yet she’s dangling it over my head to guilt me into helping her? I would have done so if she’d just asked… Just what is going on with this person…? Still, I feel I barely have a choice in the matter, not for her sake, but for my own and Fox’s. 

“...You can trust me, goddess. I won’t forsake your gift.”

She ‘smiles’ as she did before, but it feels almost malevolent now. “Thank you, my child. What I ask of you is no small feat and it is of grave importance. I will be granting my gifts to my children across Monorise City, however, doing so without precaution would be foolhardy. Wayright Inkton has already begun preparing her army of Radiants, beings from a world parallel to our own. Her family has passed down the magic to do so throughout the generations, along with their belief that my gifts disturb ‘the natural order’ of the world. That is the reason for my imprisonment, but as you have witnessed, my gifts are necessary for people such as yourself, and soon. Even those who are not of my children will need those with my gifts.”

I look down at Fox in the middle of Yombroila’s monologue, running my paw through her hair and petting her. Her grimacing face relaxes somewhat at the touch, thank goodness. Please, stay strong, Fox… I don’t know what this goddess has planned for us or the world, but clearly if it’s hurting you this much, something must be off.

“Thus begins my journey to fill the world with Ascended Folk. To achieve this, I must ask that you and Fox dispose of the forces Waywright has rallied about the city. I can only offer my gifts under the moonlight, for they are shining beacons within the dark and empowered by this World of Shade. As such, the forces of the Radiant World will be active at night and I need them dealt with so my children may roam freely. All I need of you two is to carry on as normal. Continue your heists, for these extravagant manors appear to be focal points for the Radiant forces, presumably because of the Inktons’ wealth and connections. Dispose of their leaders to grant others the opportunity to live the lives they deserve.”

I nod at the goddess. That was a whole lot of exposition, but I got the most important parts: steal more and fight magic people. I’m not one for confrontation, hence why I like sneaking around so much, so I can only hope Fox will be able to help me on that front. 

“Alright. We’ll do what we can.”

She floats there still, staring down at us while I continue to hold Fox in my embrace. “...Well?”

“Wh-- Well what? Fox isn’t in any state to go on a heist. I’m gonna care for her tonight, so that we can actually do something tomorrow.” 

I try to avoid looking at the goddess. My face is probably a bit stern but my primary concern right now is Fox and she needs a lot of help from what I’m seeing. Yombroila doesn’t seem all too pleased with my response, but with a sigh and a wave of her hand she seems to allow it.

“I understand. I will take tonight to observe the city. If I find a suitable location for a first target, I will let you know.” She turns her back to us, floating there and staring out at the city. “And one last thing.” 

I perk my head up and look at her, the goddess’ head turned to face me from the side. 

“I am placing my trust in you, and you alone. You must report to me if anything at all seems off about Fox. I will do what is within my powers to help her, otherwise…”

She closes her eyes while I continue to stare at her, my heart accelerating the longer she pauses for. 

“Otherwise…?”

“Otherwise I may have to take drastic measures.”

A sudden feeling of stillness and dread fills me, and beneath that, anger. I can hold that in, thankfully, I’ve learnt to do so my whole life, but…is she threatening Fox…?

“I will check in on you in private each night, so that you may report to me on Fox’s condition. Remember: I am placing my trust in you, and you alone. This is as much for Fox’s sake as it is the both of ours’.”

With that, she drifts away, slowly fading into the night. An exasperated sigh is finally released from my chest. I pick up Fox bridal style (Oh my), leaping down to the ground with a lightness I’m still not used to. Once I’m back in the house I get Fox into bed before anything else, sitting beside her and watching her grimace painfully. I don’t know what kind of nightmares she has, but the pained expressions she makes are enough to tell me their severity. My paw draws itself over her head once again and I see her relax just a bit. Dragging my hand around to her chin and running it up and down the bottom of her muzzle, I even see her smile a bit. Ohh, so she must really like being scratched under her chin… I’d gush over that if I wasn’t so concerned about her right now. Thankfully, I don’t have to worry much longer as Fox begins to stir, her eyes fluttering open before staring up at me. 

“Nnn… Cat…?”

“Good evening, sleepy head.” I offer her a smile, and god bless, she offers one in return. My paw finally pulls back, and she attempts to sit up, but only manages to hold herself up a bit. “Hey hey hey! Don’t force yourself, you just went through a lot.”

She grunts and smirks up at me, “C’mon, Cat, I had a bit of a rough mental moment, I wasn’t hit by a train…” 

She sits up in full, but ends up leaning against me. Oh, that’s a nice feeling… I’d be tempted to call us more than just partners in crime, but… I don’t think she feels that way about me, and she’s got too much going on to really think about that right now. 

“Are you okay though, Kitten…?”

Ahhh, there are those butterflies again. Such a nice warm feeling… I lean my head atop hers and hum, “I’m alright. Yombroila info dumped on me a bit, but the simple version of it is she wants us to deal with those mythical creatures called Radiants so that she can offer people her gifts without putting them in danger.”

“I…see. And what exactly does that entail…?”

My smile only widens. God, when have I been this excited for a heist before? “Business as usual.”

Fox chuckles and grins, shaking her head a bit. “Of course it does. So, are we getting geared up, or what?”

My eyes go wide as I pull away for a moment, looking Fox over. “Excuse me? You just had the mental breakdown of a lifetime! You’re not in any shape to go out just yet!” I huff at her, crossing my arms in a half-joking manner.

My partner winces for a moment before sighing and replying, “I know, I know, but… I just feel this urge?”

I look from her, then to the floor. “You too, huh…?”

She laughs and sighs, tail swishing around behind her. “The thrill of the heist is a hard rush to pass up.”

I laugh in return, looking back to Fox once more. “Still, I don’t feel comfortable sending you out there as you are. We really need to deal with what’s going on in your head!” 

I reach up and give her some pats to emphasize the last word. As a result Fox basically melts into me, tail swaying to and fro.

“Mrrghgghrhrh… Caaaaaaaaaat…”

Oh god she’s so cute! I release her from the pats and she shakes her head, blushing in an embarrassed manner. 

“Sorry, sorry, but really. Is there anything we can do about this…?”

Fox goes from head-empty petting mode to a more sullen look. “I don’t know… The more of these… I guess ‘affirming’ things I do, the stronger I feel about them, but the more intense that gets, the stronger all the feelings pushing them back become too.”

I do what I know best, pulling Fox into another hug, which thankfully, she accepts and wraps her arms around me in return. “I’m not sure what I can do about that… At least, though, I’m going to support you. Those bad feelings in you are probably more fragile than anything else, which is why they feel so threatened by all the affirmation making you stronger.” Fox closes her eyes and nods against me, seeming to get what I’m talking about. “So next time that doubt tries to bully you, just remember me, ‘kay? They may be responding to your feelings, but I’m more than a feeling I’d say, right?”

I chuckle and hold Fox’s head against my chest. I probably shouldn’t do much more. As much as I want to comfort her to the fullest, she needs time. I receive another nod, but weaker this time. Oh yeah… She does have trouble when it comes to being vocally affectionate with me. Hopefully this doesn’t make her uncomfortable. 

“If I’m being too pushy, just tell me. I want to help you find comfort, not push you in the direction I think is right.”

I get the best kind of response though, her arms tightening around me before she tilts her head and looks up at me, a glossy sadness in her eyes. She’s fighting it all right now, I can tell. 

“I… I’m comfortable…with you…like this…”

I could just about cry! I think I do a bit, little tears shed from my eyes as I run one hand over her head and the other down her back. I think this is what she wants. Pulling myself deeper onto the bed, I get comfortable in a way that Fox can relax against me. With eyes on the verge of tears I hold her close, petting her dearly, making sure she feels loved. I think she’s going back in for another round, and all I can do is hope that I can give her strength.