In which Kaylin and Mitzi end up in trouble
'A small child sits on the cold concrete. She had been waiting for her father for over three hours now. Dark clouds had begun rolling in as she had waited, and now she had nowhere to hide from the onslaught that Mother Nature had in store.
Finally her father showed up. It was obvious that he had been drinking, from the red face, to the many cans littering the floor. “Father, school ended at three today. How am I going make dinner in time?” She asked, shivering and stuttering through the entire sentence.
Sneering, he raised his fat hand and brought it against her cheek harshly. Laughing like a crazy man escaping prison, he peeled out of the parking lot. His daughter lay in the passenger seat, a bloody nose and tears forming in her dull tawny eyes...'
“That is the last effing time I listen you!” I yelled, running from a laughing Charles. I didn't get very far as he grabbed my hood and pulled me next to his fiance, Mitzi.
'Hello,' I thought, thinking of something that I should write later on, 'My Name is Kaylin Arrowin. I live in a small town in Texas, and it's a great place to relax. I have one of the coolest friends ever. Mitzi,' my thoughts flash over to a shortish blonde girl, 'is one of the few people I am willing to hang out with. She has designs on becoming a stylist, and I fully support her.'
'Next is Charles. How would I describe him? Probably the only guy I know who doesn't shower regularly -I end up having stay at least four feet away from him. That's how powerful the stink-, and can barely write his own name. He wants to marry Mitzi, but I know she will never marry him. She would end up supporting him, and I knew she would not allow that to happen.'
'And then there's me.' my thoughts finally flashed over to me, almost seeming to watch as I gazed up into the sky. 'I have designs on either being a Professional Chef or a Medical Assistant. It's hard to choose; I can never make up my mind.'
We were walking down the main street of where we all lived, not doing anything important. Charles started making his smart ass comments, trying to rile me up. “Boogeyman, leave her alone, we're just trying to have fun,” Mitzi told him, a cigarette dangling off her lips.
As I turned to Mitzi, I noticed Charles was gone. "Mitz, where did Charles go?" I asked, grabbing my pack of cigarettes from her.
As I turned back to her -the wind was blowing just right as I tried to light up- I saw that she had disappeared too. "Oh hell na-" I began, sudden darkness taking over my senses in a rush.
When I sat up -and hit my head on something equally hard- I groaned and rubbed the reddening spot on my forehead.
"Fucken A' Arrowin. You've got a hard head!" Mitzi yelled, falling back and grasping her forehead.
Holy hell what happened? and my head isn't that hard!" I pouted, a nice sized bump growing where the red mark had been.
Hey Mitz, when did you get a tail? and animal ears?" I asked, just then noticing the appendages moving around slightly.
Mitzi’s once short, black, slightly wavy hair, now reached her hips. Iridescent in color, it seemed to shine like a butterflies wings. Her eyes, once a quiet tawny, were now almond shaped, and bright, almost golden in color. Atop her head sat two rat ears, twitching every once in a while to catch subtle noises.
A quiet squeal erupted from Mitzi as she took in my new look. That alone was scary. She held up my make-up mirror so that I was able to get a good look at myself.
A crying gasp erupted when I took in my new appearance. The first thing I saw was a pair of fox ears moving around to catch the subtle noises. the next thing was my hair. Normally shoulder length and curly; it now reached the small of my back and just barely curled at the ends. The last thing was a tail; it was floofy, dark red, and had a small patch of black towards the tip. Being the genius I was, I decided to check if it was real the only way I knew how. I bit into it. hard enough to cause me to drop it and slowly pet away the pain.
"Hey Kay, where is Charles?" Mitzi asked, already digging through my bag.
Looking around, I could not see one speck of him. "I can't see him. Can you smell him? You could probably smell him from half a mile away." I said, grimacing at what he normally smelled like.
Shaking her head, Mitzi began sniffing around, taking in all of the scents around. "It smells wonderful doesn't it? Everything has a different smell and they combine in to this one glorious spell like scent." She said, laying down in the soft grass, twirling her fingers into my hair. "It's like this place was made just for us, ya know? Like nothing could ever go wrong." she murmured, slowly falling asleep in the bright sunlit meadow.
"What do you think you are doing? Never touch the Miyuna!" A man yelled, running out from behind a tree, causing Mitzi and I to jump up.
Mitzi and I looked at each other with the same thoughts. "Miyuna? the hell." I thought out loud, grabbing for my bag and slowly moving towards the treeline. "Mitz, when I say 'now' run like hell. Ready? Now!" I yelled, sprinting as fast as I could towards the safety of the trees.
Sadly, I am not as fast as I thought I was, and was captured almost right away. "Let go of me you Son uva Bitch!" Trying to break free from his iron grip. "I will bite your ear off and kick you in the nards. Let Me GO!" I yelled, flailing trying to bite his ear.
"No Miyuna, we must go to the palace to see the King and Queen." He grunted, deftly dodging the kick to his head after dropping me in surprise.
Standing up, I spit out blood and skin before resuming my escape. 'Catch me now motha' fucka'.' I thought, grinning in triumph at my genius escape. As I began running, I noticed how the ground seemed to shift and change shape.
The guard that had held me, began chasing me as I tried to dodge the heavy oak trees. "Miyuna," he said, trying to catch my tail, " you must come with me back to the castle. The King and Queen grew worried of your disappearance."
Finally tripping on my own feet, I ended up of diving into a thick set of bushes near a small river. Trying to catch my breath while hiding, was not as easy as it sounded. Gasping for breath, I hid under a pile of dead leaves from a previous fall.
"Miyuna! You must come with me, The King and Queen are worried sick." He called, trying to flush me out.
'Not likely, ya idiot.' I thought, army crawling away from him and towards what I hoped was freedom.
"Mitz," I whispered, finally far enough to dare speak, "Where are you? We need to get away. I don't want that guard to catch us."
"Too late." I looked up just in time to see an object hit me in the neck, forcing me into unconsciousness.
"Don't worry my Queen, soon we will be reunited with our beloved son." The King said, unknowing of how wrong his statement was.
Caressing one of her three tails, Fai wu worried over the state of her missing child. She missed the little girl who would coo and giggle when her mothers' tail would tickle her in the morning; the quiet sniffles she made as she slept through the night.
The King didn't know that his strapping boy was an elegant woman now, ready to grab to world by its short hairs.
Fai wu had watched her little girl as she grew up. She watched as Kaylin learned to walk and talk, as she quickly grew into her body.
"Love, where are you? We must prepare for our son's arrival." The King called, his voice filled with pride and hope.
'Sweet angel, please be safe upon your arrival. I fear for your sake.' She thought, her hands clasped in front of her, almost as if in prayer.
Being carried like a sack of potatoes may sound fun, but as Kaylin began her ascent into wakefulness she discovered how painful it was. A dull ache had begun in her lower abdomen and somehow worked its way up to her ribs.
Groaning in discomfort, she began to shift and struggle trying to alleviate the ache. “I can walk you know. Let me down; I won't run.” She coerced, finally able to stand on her own feet before falling flat on her back.
“Kay! I was so worried. I thought he had killed you or something.” Mitzi said, her words rushing together and sounding like babble.
Laughing in her head, Kaylin looked her friend straight in the eye. “Mitz, I am fine. There's nothing he could do that would hurt me for very long. Now come on, this idjit wants us to go see this King and Queen.” she said, pointing at the man carrying her and lifting Mitzi with the other arm.
The little redhead sat on a stool in her mother's kitchen. Looking to be about 5 or 6, she watched as her mother began her own little ritual between them.
"One heaping scoop of crushed Chamomile leaves, to calm thine nerves and help in the passage of dreams.
Half scoop of Skullcap to ease thy stress and calm mine nerves.
Two scoops of Valerian. May the smelly socks defeat our enemies.
One heaping scoop of St. Johns Wort, help in easing thine mind.
Add five cups of water and let steep for 90 minutes in the sun," her mother whispered, reciting the recipe by heart.
"Mama,
when did you learn to make the sleepy tea?" the little girl asked,
kicking her legs as she watched her mother move around quickly.
Looking up and putting a finger to her chin as she thought, her mother replied, "I believe I was about your age. I learned it from my mother who learned it from hers."
Smiling, the little girl jumped off her stool and ran for the door before her father got home. She liked it better when she could hide at the playground for a couple hours, and then come home to her daddy asleep from Mama's sleepy tea.
“They're here! Come dear; let's go greet our little boy!” Kurimu said, acting like somebody had taken him over.
'This will not end well.' Fai wu thought, sighing quietly and following her dear husband. Yes, it was obvious they loved each other, but some days she wanted to take a practice sword to his head.
“My son, you have returned!” she heard him cheer, almost hearing the hug in the sentence. Hurrying down the hall she entered the hall to a sight no one could have predicted.
A young woman stood shock still, her ears and tail poofing up in anger. A smaller, blonde female stood on the side, her eyes wide with laughter that was expertly restrained.
A loud, sudden crash brought her back to what was going on. “Who in the hell do you think you are?” The red head growled, several guards holding her back as The King slowly stood up, his eyes solid chips of ice.
“I am the King of all of Mian Shi! You will treat me with the respect I deserve.” He growled, his hand raised to strike the glaring red head's cheek.
Snorting, she looked away glaring at the wall. “You will not have my respect. Mine is earned, not given. Only a few have earned it; the blonde quietly laughing to my left (I can hear you giggling Mitzi), one of my exes when I kicked his boyfriends' ass for hurting him, and my Master. He learned not cross one of the boundary lines I had set up between us.” She said, the collar around her neck glinting in the low light of the antechamber.
Gasping quietly, Fai wu clung to the shadows and watched as her husband almost struck their supposed daughter. “Husband” she whispered, “That is our daughter. Please show some respect.” Walking into the low light, she gently slid her hand along her daughters chin.
Closing her eyes, Fai wu felt out for the red headed girls’ emotions; only to find a static-like block surrounding her senses. “Child, why is there a block around you?” she asked, her head tilted to the side trying to figure it out.
“Because, when they are released things tend to happen. I was always told by my mother that I needed to keep them under control. She taught me how with a game of sorts. When I grew older, my father told me that I needed to stop pretending and grow up.” Kaylin said, her eyes closed and her collar rattling and glowing in the low light.
Finally having enough, Kaylin stomped down hard on the left guards foot, causing him to let go of her hand just long enough. Twisting around so that she was in front of the guard on the right, she leaned back and brought her head forward as fast as she could. A loud crack sounded through the room as she broke the poor mans nose. Grabbing Mitzi and running as fast as she could, Kaylin began her search through the maze of corridors. “Dang Kaylin, I didn't realize you had that in you.” Mitzi said, trying to piece all that she knew about her tall friend.
“Mitzi, We have two options. We can either stay here and try to learn something worth while, or we can high tail it before the guards can catch me. I would rather us leave; it's just too weird how they are acting.” She whispered, hiding in an alcove that was just big enough for the two of them. Poking her head out, she grabbed her hand and made a break for the front hall. “Halt and present arms!” someone yelled, causing her to turn and run backwards. What she didn't expect was the shot of pinkish/blue energy coming at her; almost taking a chunk of her hair as she ducked and tumbled into Mitzi, causing them to stumble into the door and knock the both of them out.
A young redhead sits on the sidewalk outside of a country convenience store. An older gentleman, probably in his mid 60s, limps over to her and sits beside her.
“Can you spare some change?” He asks, his milky gray eyes trained fully on her.
Standing up and smiling down at him, she walked into the shop and down the first aisle to the back freezers. Opening the door and grabbing two sandwiches (tuna of course) and two drinks, she pays the older Vietnamese woman and steps back out into the daylight.
Her flip flops make a quiet 'swush swush' as she walked across the overly warm cement. “I'm sorry it ain't much,” she said, handing him a sandwich and soda, “but their sandwiches fill you up something wonderful.” Taking a bite, she closed her eyes and smiled.
Opening her eyes, she noticed that the slight smell had disappeared; as if he had never been there. Softly on the wind, she heard the unmistakable words, “You are destined for wonderful things child. Never let them chain you down.”
Coming to -again-, I realized that there was something wrong. For one thing I was not dressed in my customary skirt and old hoodie. This outfit -if I could call it that- barely registered in my mind as I stared in horror of what I perceived as my room.
Pink. Pink walls, carpet and bed. Who had decided this?! I absolutely abhor the color pink, and the entire room seemed to be made of the eye searing, cotton candy color.
“You are awake.” It was more of a statement than a question. Sitting up and turning towards the voice -and popping some joints at the same time- I saw a small mouse-like person standing in the doorway.
Giving him a look, I stood up slowly and managed to stumble over to the bed before sitting down. “What did you do to me?” I asked, my mouth stumbling over the words. I looked down and nearly screeched at the sight of my feet. They looked as if someone had spent hours peeling the calluses I had worked hard on building.
My head suddenly felt clearer after seeing what they had done. “What did you do to me!” I yelled, pushing the mouse-like guard to the floor before fleeing down the hall to a worn doorway.
Cautiously pushing it open, I looked in and squealed at what lay before me. A whole array of cookware and delicious treats lay before me as I scurried in and held one of the many pastries in my hand. “You can try one if you like.” a voice said behind me, startling me out of my thoughts. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to touch them. I will leave them alone.” I said, looking down at a plump woman with streaks of silver in her hair. “Nonsense child. These are for everyone. In fact, why don't you help me in carrying them to the dining hall.” She said, her face alight with happiness at the thought of someone helping her willingly. “Ma'am, I hate to ask, but what is it exactly that you do around here?” I asked, two heavy trays balanced on both hands. “Tush, none of that 'ma'am' stuff now; I am only 400. Call me Miemie, Everyone does.” She said, smiling as we carried our trays to the dining hall.
“Well met Miemie. I see you have brought our treats, do you have someone helping you this time? I only see two trays.” Fai wu asked, her words coming out a mile a minute. She smiled at the bare foot that presented itself before the rest of the body attached to it moved into the room. Her little girl had helped the Patisserie with no objections. Her child was truly special.
A crash sounded from the vicinity of the door. Looking up, scared bi-colored eyes stared at the people in the hall. “You,” she hissed, her hair/ears, and tail puffing up in anger, “What have you done to my friend?” looking at the King, who looked ready to murder the next person to make a noise.
“Listen well you whelp. I am the King; you will listen to me, or you will suffer.” He said, a sneer marring his normally ordinary features.
“I want my friend dammit.” Kaylin said, her eyes slowly draining to a dark blue as something unexpected happened.
Looking over at a random guard, he nodded and the woman left to fetch the Rat woman Kaylin was attached to. “That creature is inferior to the Foxes. We have only the need of cleaning and servers from them. They are stupid beings.” The King said, nodding his head at what he considered great wisdom.
Chuckling quietly, as they didn't know what had just happened, Kaylin looked up; her face taking on a masculine edge, her eyes now completely changed and like solid blocks of ice. “You do not get it do you? I -as in Kaylin- see no difference in anyone. Yes Mitz may be a rat, but she is the awesomest person. Now if you will excuse me; I need to find my friend and leave this place.” As she turned away from the annoying brunette, he stood and stomped to the door just seconds before she left.
Grabbing her arm and turning her towards the wall, Kurimu stared at Kaylin with contempt.
Staring up at the King, Kaylin scowled at him, her eyes still the dark blue. “You insolent little brat,” The King snarled, staring at her with contempt, “I will not be talked back to by a child. A female one at that.”
Clenching her left hand into a tight fist and raising a leg high enough to do damage; Kaylin punched and stomped just as the King was turning. A 'woosh' followed by a harsh coughing/groan had Kaylin sliding through the crack in the door, and running down the hall to an intersection of crisscrossing path ways and halls. 'Which shall I choose?' Kaylin thought, stepping into the shadows at the sound of running steps, 'going by the footsteps, I am close to some kind of military barrack. Maybe I could sneak in and steal an outfit? Possibly an extra for when I find Mitzi.' crouching down low, she stuck her head out and and ran/ scuttled to the nearest door.
'Woah.' she thought out loud, opening a door to reveal a dimly lit room. Inside, a small table was set up with a number of bottles. Unable to contain her curiosity, she walked along the shadows, finding the wall closest to the small table. Humming through her nose, Kaylin grabbed a curved bottle and read the small intricate handwriting. 'iuvenes iterum. What a strange name. Wonder what it means?' she thought, pulling out the cork -and sniffing it- before pulling back with a disgusted look on her face. “Well, bottoms up!”she said out loud, to nothing in particular, gulping half the contents before pulling back.
Grimacing at the taste, Kaylin pushed the little stopper back into the bottle and hid it on her person. 'That was disgusting.' she thought, running her teeth across her tongue, a funny taste forming in the back of her throat.
Sitting in the furthest corner from the door, Mitzi was in misery. As soon as they had left her in the tiny cell, she had tried to escape. Several times. Each time they caught her and threw her back in. Now she sat in the shadows and wallowed in her pity.
Hearing a quiet 'tap slap' of bare feet, signaling the arrival of someone. Not one of the guards; no, they wore some type of moccasin -she snuck a glance while pretending to be asleep- it sounded like someone who was more accustomed to be being barefoot.
What in the hell were those things they had put on her feet? She hated most types of footwear, the only kind she would wear were sandals/flip flops. And that was only if she absolutely had to wear something. “Mitz, ya in here?” she whispered, having to tip toe just to barely be able to see into the dimly lit cell. “I'm breakin' ya out dude.” She said, her southern upbringing showing itself. Grinning to no one, Kaylin began tugging at the door, her efforts futile.
“Allow me,” a calm voice said, an arm reaching out to stop Kaylin. “And why should I? I have no reason to trust anyone in this forsaken castle, and besides I thought that any guards that see me are to try and capture or subdue me. Is that what you're gonna do? Tie me down and force me back to people I don't even know? Oh please sir! Don't hurt widdle ol' me!” Her accent deepening further with sarcasm. Sighing and shaking his head, he began to tug the door open. “Just like her mother.” He thought, finally getting the door open and letting the small girl slide through to fetch her friend.
“Hold on.” a quiet rip filled the air as the almost floor length dress was ripped until it was tatters around Kaylins' knees. “Alright Let's go” She said, grabbing her friends hand and making a run down a random hallway.
'Sigh, I knew this would happen. My foolish husband doesn't seem to hold any regards to our daughter or any of the creatures that reside here. I will help them escape.' Fai Wu thought, gathering the supplies the two women would need to evade capture and escape from the high walls of the Citadel. Thankfully, having grabbed their bags before they could be destroyed, Fai Wu began filling the bags with the things they had brought with them plus extra supplies including food and medicine.
Leaving her room, Fai Wu walked quickly to the heavy doors waiting for the Fox and Rat. Hearing a slapping noise, she turned just as Kaylin and Mitzi rounded the corner. “Not another one!” the taller of the two whined, tugging on her right ear before grimacing. “Kay, stop being unreasonable. Look, she has our bags; maybe she wants to help us?” Mitzi admonished, grabbing her friends hand and walking towards the Fox woman.
“Hello again children; I wish to help. My husband has become... cynical. He doesn't hold the esteem of others above what they are born to do. I will sneak you out and pretend that you managed to evade me. I have given you both essentials that will aide in your journey.” She stated, pulling them through a small passage used by the maids that led to the outer walls of the Citadel.
“Go, and be quick about it. I do not have much time before they realize what has happened.” She urged, motioning with her hands for them to run into the tree line that lay twenty feet away. Hearing a quiet 'tap tap tap' , Fai Wu pushed the girls from the entrance, tossing them their bags, and struggled to close the stone wall.
Grabbing their bags, Kaylin began making a mad dash for the woods. She relished in the feeling of her feet hitting the dirt and grass, nothing holding her back as she sprinted for her life. Mitzi, on the other hand, had a bit of trouble. From her almost face planting the ground, she managed to make it to a light jog. Just being able to barely follow Kaylin she made it into the bushes before the guards noticed anything.
Crouching down, the two panting women watched for any signs of being noticed. “I think we are in the clear for now.” Kaylin said, flopping down and opening her bag, drawn to a smell she couldn't identify. Searching through her pack, and snorting at the footwear, she found the strange smell. Humming quietly, she opened the package and squealed delightedly. “Mitzi look! She gave us a whole bunch of different types of jerkies!” she laughed, biting a sizeable chunk out of one of the pieces. Cheeks puffed up, she struggled to chew the tough meat.
“Kay, we should probably get further away, before hunkering down with our supplies. They could probably smell it from those towers.” Mitzi replied, sorting through her bag, before pulling on the lightweight shoes and taking a few steps to make sure they fit. “Theses feel pretty nice. You should put yours on too.” Mitzi said, picking up her bag and walking further into the tree line.
“Screw that. You know I hate footwear. Besides, they decimated all the calluses that I worked hard on building; I need to build them back up.” Kaylin argued, stomping her feet before rising and taking a few steps and then sitting down again. “Okay, you got me. Help me find 'em, you've seen how cavernous this thing is.” she pouted, pulling her bulging bag in front of herself, and taking things out one by one.
Grunting with effort, and the fact that she had her knee almost against her breast, Kaylin finally got the soft, leather like moccasins on her feet. 'Not half bad,' Kaylin thought, wiggling her toes in the comfort of the extra space, 'Not gonna tell Mitzi she was right. I'd never hear the end of it.' sighing, they packed up their accrued junk, And began their walk into the lively forest.
