When she woke up next, the catgirl was somewhere unfamiliar. The room was circular, and was made of stripped bark. Various plants were scattered about, lining the windowsills and hanging from the ceiling. From her vantage point on the bed, the girl spotted a large bed of moss covering most of the floor, giving it an earthy carpet. The bed she was in was made of a darker wood with white sheets and an earth-tone blanket. The sun was setting, which meant she had been unconscious for nearly an entire day. The only reason she didn’t notice right away was because there were soft lights floating around near the ceiling like little fairies.

For a moment, the catgirl considered curling back up on the comfy bed, but her fresh memories of the encounter with that witch convinced her to look for a way out. She sat up, wincing from the soreness that had seeped into every part of her body.

The pain didn’t sting, she noticed. Someone had healed her while she slept. She still felt bruises on herself, but her cuts and scrapes had either closed up or had been bandaged. The base of her tail was braced and bandaged too, and there was even a cute little bell tied to the tip that disguised everything as an accessory.

There was a knock at the door, and the catgirl seized up in fear. She sat frozen as the witch walked in carrying a tray with a teapot and a small cup. The woman’s eyes were glowing green too, which certainly didn’t make her feel any safer.

“Hey, kitten. How are you feeling?” the witch asked.

The catgirl blinked. Did she just understand them? She just understood them! “Nya!” she pleaded. Maybe this person knew what was wrong with her!

They giggled, “I’m glad my variation on an animal communication potion worked. It’s not every day you come across a cursed beastfolk in the woods.”

“Nyu?”

“I hear ya kitten. Who’d curse such a cute thing like you? You made quite the commotion out in the woods last night. Thank the goddess you’re okay.”

“Nya…” The catgirl watched the woman carefully. She seemed nice enough, but… 

“Still don’t trust me?” They asked. “I get that. I did basically kidnap you. But it was for your own good! I couldn’t just leave you to die out there!”

The catgirl nodded. It’s not like she could escape anyways. She’d just have to trust this person. She dropped her guard and pointed at the teapot. “Nya?” 

“Oh, right! This tea should lift that nasty curse of yours,” the witch set the tray on the beside counter and filled the cup with tea. “Here. Be careful though! It’s hot, and probably pretty bitter. Whoever cursed you is a pretty skilled mage. I had to use some pretty strong stuff to counter it.”

The catgirl gingerly accepted the steaming cup of tea. It looked like tea and smelled fragrant. How bad could it be? She blew on it a little before taking a small sip. It was extremely bitter, just as the witch warned. The catgirl made a face, but managed to swallow it before starting to cough.

“How is it?” Asked the witch.

“Icky,” she responded, sticking out her tongue. She was tensing up in anticipation of the next sip when it hit her. She could talk again!

The witch laughed, “Thought so. Drink the whole thing okay? We wanna make sure that nasty curse stays far away from you.”

“O-okay…” She grimaced at the cup. The cure to her first problem was in her hands in the form of a very bitter, icky, nasty tea.

“The curse might not lift fully if you don’t,” the witch warned. “Come on kitten, be a good girl for me okay?”

Her ears perked up a little. This stranger was being awfully kind; wasn’t the least she could do to finish the nasty medicine? But…

“Pinch your nose,” the witch suggested. “You won’t taste it as much if you do. And take big gulps, just don’t burn your tongue, okay?”

The catgirl nodded, chancing another look at her enemy. She pinched her nose and took a big gulp, swallowing before she could really taste anything. The witch’s trick worked! With a little more confidence, she took two more gulps and finished it off.

“Good girl!” The witch said. “How are you feeling now, kitten?”

“B-better,” she replied. “A lot better. Thank nyu, miss… uh,”

“Goddess, I haven’t properly introduced myself, have I?” She stood up and curtsied. “I’m Nora, local witch of the Silverbelle Woods! I use she/they pronouns. How about you, kitten? What’s your name?”

“I’m-” Actually, what was her name? That realization came with a ringing headache. The catgirl pulled her ears down and whimpered.

“Hey, are you okay?” Nora asked.

“I don’t know,” she replied.

“What?”

“I-I can’t remember anything. I know I fell off the path, then…”

“You poor thing,” The witch sympathized. “A silencing curse and memory loss is a pretty awful combination. But you’re in luck! I know a recipe for a potion that’ll remind you of all the stuff you forgot! There’s a few ingredients I need to gather first, but it shouldn’t take more than a few days.”

“I can’t ask you to do that for me,” the catgirl protested. “I don’t want to be a bother.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Nora replied. “It’ll actually be kinda fun. Things get pretty boring when you’re out here all alone. Oh, I know! You come foraging with me while we get your potion made. You can be like my apprentice!”

“Are you sure?” the catgirl asked.

“Of course! Plus, something tells me I shouldn’t let you go back to Kin no Kaigan alone.”

“Where?”

“That’s the city south of here. If I had to guess, I’d say your mystery assailant chased you out and knocked you off the path.”

“S-something like that,” the catgirl replied. 

“Don’t think too hard about it, okay Callie?”

“Callie?”

“Ah, s-sorry!” Nora stammered, “The name kinda just popped into my head. Cause of your calico tail, I mean. Since we don’t know your actual name, is it okay if I call you that? It doesn’t have to be that, it can be something else too!”

For the first time in what felt like ages, Callie smiled.  “It’s okay, Miyaster! I like it.”

The already flustered witch’s face began to turn a deep shade of red. “M-master!?”

Callie’s grin only grew wider. She tilted her head, feigning ignorance. “I’m your apprentice, right? And if I’m your apprentice, then you’re my miyaster, Miyaster!”

“I can’t even be mad at you when you act all cute like that!” Nora yelled in frustration. “Ugh, why does your first smile have to be at my expense?”

Callie couldn't contain herself anymore and began to giggle. “Is something wrong, Miyaster?”

Nora sighed, but a smile crept onto their face. This girl’s grin was contagious. 

“Brat.”