#antropomorphic character

[lucythepig]

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[rogue-unleashed]

The Catfolk

Chapter Four: And there she came, with the morning breeze

Summary: As the males left for a hunting trip, you find yourself a new endearing friend. Warnings: none. Word count: 2738 Note from Rogue: Well, uh, I was kind of rusty when I started this series (sometimes I feel like I'm still a little bit off, but I can't complain), so I started with lower word count but... Well, it just felt good to write, let me know once it gets too much for comfort, haha! Also, there was a request about a female option, and I'm happy oblige to that. Let me know if you like her!

Bataar and a few of the males, including Jargal, left not much before dusk, hoping for a successful hunting trip.

It was strange to be here in the hut without him all night. He usually returned home at night, whatever he did before that, after that, you both had dinner and headed to bed. You knew how to cook, but the Maeko did a lot of things differently. Luckily, Bataar wasn't a fussy eater, and he was patient enough with you anyway.

You turned to your side on your makeshift bed, the furs keeping you warm on the chilly night.

"Don't worry. We'll see each other tomorrow."

You still heard his voice in your head from earlier. It was a strange feeling. You did worry about him, not that you didn't think he could stand his ground on a hunting trip. It was more that he won't be here with you. Why did you feel that way? It was a strange tug on your heart.

You missed him, and it made you wonder. You didn't really think about him that much for the last week. Not in that way, at least…

He was tall and muscular, his yellow eyes always reflected so much care in them as he looked at you. Everyone knew they could rely on him, including you.

He would make a fine mate, and you knew that. You also knew that it wasn't that weird for a catfolk to choose a mate from a different species, although you still find the idea a bit out of your comfort zone. Two weeks ago you weren't even sure if they existed, and now some of them gossip about you being the mate of a catfolk chieftain. It all happened too fast, and while you were entirely grateful for their hospitality, it was a lot to take in.

You didn't even know much about their culture. Of course, Bataar, Ekna, and Duren helped you out when you had questions, but there was still so much that you didn't know.

You closed your eyes as you felt your body getting heavier. You went to bed a while ago, but only now you felt how tired you were. As you slowly drifted to sleep, a thought still pondered in your mind.

It’s decided. Tomorrow you will learn more about the Maeko, preferably before Bataar and the others come home.

A loud knocking woke you up. You almost kicked the fur blanket off of you, as you sit up. Light shone through the thin curtains, and you could hear the birds chirping outside. It was morning already.

“Good morning, human”, you heard a voice from outside. It was a female. “I just came to check in on you.”

A little confused, you stood up and went to answer the door.

It was a tiger, but a white one, with eyes so bright that you felt like they could pierce right through your soul. She had several small metal rings in her ears, and although she was much more feminine in build than Bataar, there was still so much more muscle on her than on the average Maeko female. She was tall too, and suddenly you felt almost as much intimidated when you first met Bataar.

"Ah, there you are.", she said with a smile, and without any question, she walked right in. You stepped back, blinking a few, slightly confused, but she walked through the door so naturally, you didn't even question it at first. She looked around before turning to you.

"Good thing Bataar took you in, the place looks tidier than ever."

With a smile, she looked you up and down.

"I'm Sheekah. Nice nightgown by the way."

You looked down at yourself, a bit embarrassed as you realized that you only wore the white nightgown that Bataar gave you. You only realized last night that it was probably his late mate's once.

"Do you have any plans for today, human?"

You looked up at Sheekah, who paced around the room aimlessly, looking at a few little things around the shelves.

"Not that I know of, I just have a few chores around the hut."

"Good." Sheekah sent a satisfied smile in your direction. "You can help me out then. I'm in charge while Bataar is gone."

"Oh", you noted with a raised eyebrow. Until now, it seemed that just as in your human world, there was some kind of imbalance between the genders. You didn't really see many females doing what the males did, and vice versa. Honestly, Sheekah was the first who looked like she could handle whatever Bataar and the males were doing out there during a hunt.

"Don't be so surprised now." Sheekah obviously noticed your tone, but she didn't look offended as the smile never left her black lips. "I know it's different where you came from, but here, there's little to no limit to what you can do if you are capable. Most of us just don't feel like doing that kind of work. And I'm not one of them."

She sounded kind of proud of that, and you understood why. In fact, you liked that idea. As tough and a bit intimidated as she looked, there was a certain kind of power that radiated from her: and you respected it instantly.

"So go on, get changed, I'll wait for you outside." She nodded in your direction and left you in the hut as quickly as she came in.

You just stood there for a minute, mind still a bit hazy from the sudden wake up.

Well, Sheekah seemed friendly enough to ask her about cultural topics, right?

You got dressed as soon as you could and left the hut. Sheekah was outside, sitting on a small bench in front of the hut, with a chicken in her hand.

"Ready for some work, human?"

She looked up at you with a small smile as she petted the hen. That made you smile too, the way she held the bird in her paws so delicately.

"Yeah, I am."

She walked proudly beside you, and although she was just as restless as Bataar when it came to solving problems around the village, her style was quite different. When you saw him, Bataar usually walked around the village like a shadow, watching over his little kingdom from the background, and he only spoke when it was necessary. Not that he was hard to approach: he was always ready for a quick chat with the locals, or hang around a little with the cubs if they were brave enough to ask him to play hide and seek. He seemed to cherish these moments and you really liked that about him, but it also seemed that he preferred to just watch over his folk, humbly observing what he was working so hard for every day.

But Sheekah: as you made your way through the village, it was clear she was more than happy to involve herself in pretty much anything. All the villagers greeted her with a few nice words or waved at her with a faint smile at least, and she had a kind answer for everything, even if was just a handshake. But as everyone recognized her around the main street, it also meant that it was nearly impossible to ask her any questions. You didn't mind it that much though, watching her kind of reassured your feelings about the Maeko. It was a big village, but most of the locals seemed close to each other, like a big, close-knit family you could always count on. Of course, you learned on your own, that there were exceptions, as always. Like Jargal himself.

As you reached the outskirts of the village, Sheekah looked down at you with a smile.

"Let me know if I walk too fast."

"Ah, it's okay", you shrugged with a smile.

"Good, I wasn't sure if you could keep up with those nice little legs you got."

You chuckled, but only realized her words a second after. Nice little legs? They weren't that little, well, compared to her they sure were, but… Hey, was that a compliment?

"We're gonna see how the fence is coming along near the gates. Not much before you appeared, something tore it down and there was all kinds of ruckus around that night. No one really saw what it was, and although most of us went out to find it… Well, Bataar and the rest only found you out there."

So that's what he was doing so far away. You never saw any of them in the forest, though you never ventured out as far as you did on that… horrifying night.

But right now, something bothered you a bit more than that.

"…Something broke in? What could it be? A wild animal?"

"Well, if it was an animal, it was something we never saw before. The scent was different, and at some point, it faded away. Whatever it was, two of us lost their life that night, so we have to fortify the fence, or even the boars will come in and eat all of our shit."

The morning went like that. Sheekah made sure everything went smoothly while Bataar was away, from repairing the fence to discussing urgent matters about the crops and the livestock. You were right beside her, but honestly, there was so little you could help her out with, that it made you wonder: what could you possibly help her with? She was so independent, it was hardly anything she couldn't do just on her own.

Not much after noon, Sheekah looked around, watching over the village proudly as you two stood at the center, just where the bonfire was on that ominous night.

"Nice, great work. There's just one last thing we need to do, then you can go on your way if you would like."

You smiled up at her, curiously.

"Sure, what would it be?"

"We gonna deliver a package. Come, this way."

"So, delivery service is an ordinary task for a substitute?", you asked her with a coy smile as you followed her on the main road.

Sheekah let out a chuckle, elbowing you playfully as her tail shifted behind her.

"Only if it's for a special someone, that is."

The package itself wasn't too heavy. Well, packages, since it was two baskets, each covered with a rug. You didn't ask about it too much, assuming they contained all kinds of goods, maybe for someone as old as Altan. Who was maybe, a little less capable than Altan.

You had entirely different questions on your mind.

"Say, Sheekah… If I were a Maeko… I mean, is there any way you would notice if someone would, well…"

As you tried your best to voice your thoughts, you heard a snicker from Sheekah.

"It's kind of cute as you stumble upon your own worlds, human, but out with it."

That sentence tickled you in a way you wouldn't expect it, but you tried your best to focus on your question, though it was harder now with your heart pounding a bit faster.

"How could I notice if someone is trying to court me?"

Sheekah slowed down for a minute, seemingly thinking about your question. You were almost at the gate now.

"Well, uh, it depends on the person, but I guess it wouldn't be that much different from the human way." You seemed to catch her off guard with your question because her tone changed a little as she answered. "You know, trying to impress your potential mate with everything you got. Provide for them, protect them. That's the traditional way I guess."

"Well", you muttered as you thought about it, "If you put it that way, it isn't that different."

"Are you asking this because of Bataar?"

The question came a little too suddenly. It wasn't that surprising, sure, but it was her who caught you off guard this time. You looked at her with wide eyes before turning to the road again. You heard her chuckle again.

"Just so you know, I find it really cute how your embarrassment is clear on your face, human. You call it blush, am I right?"

There she was again. It was the second time she called you cute. First, you didn't consider it anything, but now, a thought lingered in your mind. Was she… Flirting?

"It is about Bataar. But how did you know?", you asked after a few seconds of silence, just as you walked outside the village.

'It's kind of obvious", Sheekah answered with a half smile. "No female has stepped inside that hut ever since Yagan died. Except for me, but I don't think I count."

"What do you mean?", you looked at her with some confusion.

"How should I put this?" She chuckled. "Ah, I gonna just say it. I have no interest in males. At all. Instead…"

She took a longer step now, getting in front of you. You stopped, looking at her curiously, although you had an idea too now. Sheekah was close to you, you saw her pink nose moving as she sniffed the air, almost unconsciously as it seemed.

"I'm after much more delicate things. Ones like you."

Even with your earlier suspicion, that last part caught you off guard. Your fingers gripped the basket a little tighter as your heartbeat quickened up again. So she was flirting earlier.

Sheekah didn't leave much time for you to react, she turned around chuckling, and continued her way on a path between the trees. You just stood there, still stunned.

"Are you coming, dove? The goods won't deliver themselves."

You followed her on the path, a bit embarrassed now. You weren't sure how to feel about all of this right now.

As you walked silently for a few minutes, you heard some familiar noise.

"Is that a creek?", you asked after a few seconds.

"Yup."

Just as Sheekah answered, you two stepped out of the trees, into a green little clearing. You finally saw a creek, and as you followed it with your eyes, you saw a hut. It was much more different than the ones in the village: it was almost covered in plants and moss, but it didn't look abandoned, more like, it was for the sake of aesthetics. It was idyllic.

"We have arrived. Neat little spot, huh?", Sheekah asked, almost proudly.

"It's beautiful! I haven't been outside of the village since I arrived, I didn't know I was living next to a spot like this!"

"Well, you can come here anytime when you would like some peace and quiet."

You looked at her as she stopped a few meters away from the house.

"Ah, I might ask the owner", you admitted, still in awe at the sight.

"No need to do that", Sheekah shook her head with a smile. "She just gave you her permission."

You stared at her for a few seconds before realizing what she just said.

"Wait, you live here?"

"Yes. Build it myself."

"Sheekah, that's…" You looked at the house again as your jaw almost hit the ground once again.

"Impressive? I know, I think so too. I thought I would like some privacy, but I didn't want to be too far away from the village. So, welcome to my humble hut."

"But wait, what are these then?", you looked down at the basket in your hand.

"Our lunch, silly. We worked hard for it, it's the least that we can eat with peacefully, out here."

You looked inside your basket and now you understood it. It was some kind of pastry in it, with a few fresh vegetables.

"Vagalh makes the best kind of smoked meat", Sheekah lifted the basket a little. "Come on, we should sit down and eat."

It was nice. Just the two of you, listening to the sounds of the forest, eating some delicious food. Sheekah was happy to answer your questions, and you listened to her intently.

You liked her. She was a little too rough with her words sometimes, but she was kind and caring. She seemed to understand your struggle with blending in, and tried her best to help you out. Her way of telling stories or talking about cultural differences was so smooth and easy to follow, you didn't even realized that you were sitting there with her for more than an hour after you two finished your dinner.

You knew it already, but after today, it became clear that this place was like heaven compared to your previous life. And one by one, you felt more and more like you finally found your place. No matter of the many things you still didn't no about the catfolk.

It already felt like you belonged here all your life.