Chapter 1: Sayuri’s Tail (All In One)

Sayuri yawned wide, her elongated canines glinting in the pale moonlight. She stretched languidly before hopping to her feet. She scratched her thigh idly before glancing at her surroundings. The rooftops of Arkbridge rolled out beyond her perch, stretching to the edge of the curtain wall to the north. Her stomach growled irritably and Sayuri rubbed it consolingly.

“Good belly,” she murmured soothingly, closing her eyes as she rubbed her aching stomach. “It’s okie that you are hungry. So is Sayuri. She will find us food.” Yawning again she walked to the edge of the roof. Her ears swiveled, searching for any sign of trouble before dropping off the edge of the roof and straight toward the street 15 meters below.

She yawned once more as she fell toward the street before her form seemed to shimmer and shrink into itself. The soft, white kitten with heterochromatic eyes landed daintily on a thin clothesline stretched across two buildings and hopped the rest of the way down to the street.

There was food to be had, provided she wasn’t too picky and didn’t mind fighting for it. She could, she supposed, always revert to her Neko form but that seemed cruel when the other cats were simply trying their best to survive as well. Besides, people didn’t take too kindly to Nekos like her, she’d found. Or she didn’t think they did. She’d never seen another Neko, but people didn’t care for her, so she was mostly sure they didn’t like all Nekos. The thought that it could just be her they didn’t like settled into her mind like an unfriendly guest, and her tail swished back and forth nervously. They threw things at her sometimes and tried to hit her and made her leave where she was sleeping until she’d been forced onto the rooftops.

The first several months after her family had vanished had been especially difficult for her as she tended to be a rather restless sleeper in her Neko form and had rolled off the sharp peak of the roofs a few times. Recently she’d gotten better at learning to sleep with an arm and a leg on either side of the peak for safety’s sake. Sleeping in her cat or panther form wasn’t nearly as comfortable during the heat of summer.

She leapt onto a fence and followed it carefully until finding what she was looking for, a relatively fresh trash dumping site. Her eyes narrowed as she found three other cats had already happened upon it before she could. They had a better sense of smell than she did since they were full cats and she wasn’t, but she was patient. She curled her tail around her and waited.

“Hsssss!” One of the cats hissed at a tiny dusky kitten who had appeared around the corner of a building near the trash dump. The kitten looked wounded and moved gingerly, one of her hind legs not holding her weight. Her large green eyes widened in fear, and she shrunk back toward the wall reflexively. Sayuri’s eyes narrowed, and she leapt down in front of the cat who’d hissed. The cat, a rather muscular tabby with a torn ear stepped back in surprise before growling angrily at her, its tail puffing up dangerously. Sayuri’s form shimmered and blurred in the low light filtering through the buildings and she stood, ears pricking forward irritably.

“You are a very rude kitty, kitty,” Sayuri wagged her finger at the thoroughly terrified tabby. “There is more than enough trash to share with our new friend if she wants some.”

“Mrrrowll!” The tabby growled, stepping back a pace warily as the other two cats around the garbage weighed their hunger against the sudden appearance of the white-haired woman in their midst.

“Gah!” Sayuri gasped, shrinking back slightly in horror. “You take that back!” The cats finally decided the trash pile wasn’t worth it and, turning tail, fled into the night. Sayuri cocked her head curiously to the side as they vanished before turning to the injured kitten against the wall. Not only was her back leg hurt but there appeared to be a cord or wire of some kind wrapped tightly around her neck, cutting into her skin. Sayuri sat down carefully against the wall a couple of meters from the wounded cat, fluffy tail wrapping around her waist. “It’s Okie! You can come over if you want. Sayuri will help you.” The cat took a cautious step forward but otherwise remained where she was.

“Sayuri is not good for much,” Sayuri shrugged. “But she can try to help if you’ll let her.” The cat eyed her curiously and Sayuri’s big eyes looked back, a comforting smile lighting up her face. “Sayuri understands. Humans can be mean. They throw things and splash water on us and yell and sometimes do worse.” Sayuri’s eyes traveled along the cat’s injured body, and she sighed sadly.

“They’re not all that way, though. Sometimes they give us tasty things or will not kick us out of doorways in the rain. Sometimes they will be patient with us and give us pets and rubs. One day, if you’re patient, you may find a human who will want you to be happy and give you love. The human will accept your apology when you’ve done bad things. You might even let your human rub your belly. Maybe you can even have a f-family.” Sayuri felt the tears sting her eyes and slip down her cheeks and her voice faltered. The kitten took another hesitant step forward.

“Sayuri had a family once,” Sayuri’s voice cracked slightly. “But she was useless and stupid, and they left her. You are smart, though and Sayuri knows if you are kind and patient, you will find a family of your own someday. Sayuri is not human and is not good at most things, but she would like to take care of you until you find a family of your own.” She held a hand toward the kitten slowly so as to not frighten her. “If you are ok with Sayuri, that is.” The kitten paused warily once more before limping over to sniff Sayuri’s outstretched hand.

“Thank you for trusting Sayuri,” Sayuri rubbed the kitten’s ears gently. “Sayuri does not know if you have a name, but she will call you Sora until you find a name you like better. Is that ok with you?” The kitten stepped closer and nuzzled Sayuri’s hand gratefully. Sayuri’s smile broadened. “You are Sayuri’s friend for as long as you wish, now. Sayuri will find you food and take care of you. Okie?” The newly anointed Sora hopped awkwardly into Sayuri’s lap and nuzzled against her tenderly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Sir!” The blonde man snapped to attention, his arm raising in a crisp salute. “Yes, sir!”

‘Well done, guardsman,” The grizzled captain replied, returning the salute. “At ease.”

“The soldier is showing his belly,” Sayuri explained to Sora, petting her gently as she sat on the pitched roof of a cobbler’s shop overlooking the center square of Arkbridge. “If you say the ‘sir’ word it is a sign of respect. The elder acknowledges the greeting and returns it so the younger knows he can eat well that evening without fear of being driven out.”

“Mew,” Sora replied, licking Sayuri’s finger with her rough tongue. The dusky kitten bunted Sayuri gently with her head, the silver metal attached to the new leather collar Sayuri had given her winking in the westering sun.

“Should Sayuri and Sora go catch fishes for dinner?” Sayuri purred, rubbing her cheek gently on Sora’s head. “Would Sora like fishes for dinner?”

“Mew!”

“Very well! Let’s go to the river!” Sayuri bounded happily along the rooftops, Sora cradled snugly and safely in her arms. The kitten yawned and blinked up at the white-haired woman briefly as Sayuri leapt from one rooftop to another easily but otherwise seemed content to be carried. Though it had been several weeks, and her leg was mostly healed, Sayuri insisted on carrying her when they went on a trip of any length. At first the collar had been difficult for Sora to get used to as it dangled tantalizingly on her chest and flashed distractedly whenever the sun struck it just right, but she had quickly gotten used to it.

Sayuri grunted slightly as she landed deftly on the ground near the bank of the river meandering its way through Arkbridge. She had chosen a quiet, shady spot far from the bridges where the majority of humans tended to congregate. The river here was slow and lazy as it flowed along the shallow banks, swirling eddies formed around flat rocks and the grass grew thick along the edges. Sayuri set Sora down gently in the tall grass and feigned pulling up imaginary sleeves as she’d seen humans building stalls in the marketplace she was forbidden from visiting do and grinned down at the kitten staring up at her with big green eyes.

“Sayuri will find us nice plump fishes to eat for dinner!” Sayuri proclaimed proudly. She bounded easily onto a rock 5 meters or so into the stream and crouched down, staring intently into the water. “Sayuri is a fine fisher. She once caught a very fat fish indeed and brought it to the marketplace. The humans were very impressed with her…” Sayuri trailed off sheepishly, as if caught in a lie. “Well, no, they weren’t. They took her fish and did not give any jingly coins like they did when others brought fishes. But they did say Sayuri had caught a whopper of a fish before telling her she could not come back because she was a freak.” Sayuri stared intently into the water swirling in small whirlpools around the edges of the rock she crouched on.

“She is not sure what a whopper or freak is but she thinks whopper is good and freak is bad,” Sayuri mused. “Sayuri wonders if a whopper freak fish is good or bad. Could it be both at the same time? Maybe it is gad? Or bood? Are those words?” Sayuri shrugged, blinking slowly. She had no mind for words, especially for making up words of her own. “Sayuri would like to catch a whopper freak fish for Sora and her to eat for supper.” Sayuri giggled to herself, her white hair dancing with the movement of her shoulders. “Supper is a silly word, isn’t it, Sora? It is funny. Sayuri likes funny words. Another funny word is ‘blubber’! Sayuri has heard the meat seller say her husband has lots of blubber. It sounds funny like supper, but Sayuri is certain they do not mean the same thing. Humans say strange things, do they not?”

Sayuri prattled on, tail wrapped around her waist to keep it from getting wet and eyes focused on the water below her perch. Sora stared at her for quite some time before the heat of the late afternoon sun began to seep into her fur and she grew sleepy. The light breeze of midsummer played among the tall grass whispered to her of pleasant dreams and Sora quickly found herself nodding off.

“Hai!” Sayuri yelped triumphantly some time later, startling Sora awake. Sayuri’s hand plunged into the water and re-emerged quickly, a wriggling, flopping silvery fish clutched tight in her grasp. Sayuri looked over at Sora and grinned broadly, standing quickly. The fish, however, launched into a fresh fit of rebellion and began slapping its tail vigorously back and forth. Sayuri lost momentary control of the desperate creature and the tail struck her hard across the face. She staggered backward awkwardly; the surprise of getting smacked only heightened when her foot found only water rather than the solid rock she’d just been crouched on. Sayuri pinwheeled her arms wildly, still holding onto the fish but losing the battle against gravity. With a yelp of panic and fear Sayuri plunged into the torpid flow of the river.

“Sayuri cannot swim!” She called desperately. Sora bounded to the river’s edge in a panic, Sayuri’s head dropped below the water, only her arm still holding the fish and the tips of her ears visible for a long moment. Sayuri burst from the surface of the water once again, wailing miserably. “Sayuri will drown! Sayuri does not wish to…huh?” She scrambled to her feet to find the water curling around her waist. Sayuri glanced around and sagged, looking bedraggled and miserable she trudged through the now muddy water to the shore.

“Mew,” Sora cocked her head to the side.

“Sayuri is ok, friend, thank you for asking,” Sayuri’s hair had fallen into her face and her tail was a sadly deflated version of its normally full and silky self. “Sayuri does not like water, now.” She held the fish up triumphantly. “But she has caught a fish for us for- “The fish gave one last desperate flop and managed to break free, falling back into the water and darting back into the deeper reaches of the river. Sayuri stared morosely into the water after the fish and hung her head in defeat.

“…oh.” She finished sadly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“It is getting colder, Sora,” Sayuri declared, taking a break from licking her thigh to look at the kitten sitting next to her doing the same thing. “We do not like the cold. We will have to find somewhere warmer to stay. On the roof it is cold. There are many warm alleys by the big houses. Do you like alleys?”

“Mew,” Sora answered after a moment’s hesitation, as if considering what the white-haired girl had said.

“Sayuri does not care for them, either.” Sayuri brought her leg up higher than before, her rough tongue turning her pearly skin red. “But if we find a nice warm alley near a baker, we can have cakes if they throw them away. We like cakes.”

“Mew,” Sora replied quickly, switching legs.

“After our bath we should go look for baker places with room in the alley we can sleep in,” Sayuri suggested. Sora continued bathing herself and Sayuri followed suit. She shuddered as her tongue brushed against the apex of her thighs. She turned to Sora, cheeks blazing slightly in excitement. “Do you feel good when you lick there?” Sayuri pointed.

“Mew,” Sora seemed indifferent.

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“Maybe Sayuri is doing it wrong, her family did not teach her much.”

“Mew?” Sayuri cocked her head to the side, thinking.

“Sayuri doesn’t know,” she finally answered. “She doesn’t remember much before coming here. Only that she and her family traveled far to get here. Across wide plains and tall mountains and wet rivers. When we reached here it was supposed to be the forever home. That is what Sayuri was told.”

“Mew?”

“The forever home is where we all want to be. It is a place we can be without having to move ever again. A place where we are loved and have tasty food and even snacks. A place we are accepted. Sayuri is not sure if it is one place for us all or the forever home is different for each of us. Sayuri has never seen others like her, except her family. She has a mother and father and smaller brother and older sister, but…they are gone, now.”

“Meow.”

“She doesn’t know. Sayuri woke one morning and was alone. There had been all of us when she went to sleep and there was only Sayuri when she awoke. It has been a long time, but Sayuri still hopes she will find her family or, at least, others like her.” Sayuri paused for a long moment, staring into the distance, a line of bleak clouds crouched low on the western horizon beyond the massive curtain wall surrounding Arkbridge.

“Mew?” Sora’s pink tongue flicked out curiously.

“Nonono! Sayuri is glad to be with Sora! Is Sora glad to be with Sayuri?”

“Mew!”

“It looks like it will get cold and rainy tonight,” Sayuri lowered her leg and sat forward, stretching lazily. Let’s go find a nice alley to sleep in, ok?”

“Mew,” Sora uncurled herself and waited patiently for Sayuri to pick her up.

“And one time when I was looking for food I tripped over a big block and fell down and when I looked back to get mad at the block for tripping me someone had moved it! There was nothing there!” Sayuri shuddered. “I think it was a ghost.”

“Mew?”

“No, Sayuri wouldn’t have tripped over her own feet. I’m sure it was a big block or a basket or a sarcophagus or something,” Sayuri shook her head. “So Sayuri ran away from there very fast because she does not like ghosts. Especially ones that move things right after they trip her. Then there was another time when-“

“Bark! Bark! Bark!”

“Aieeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!” Sayuri shrieked, leaping straight into the air nearly three meters and grabbing desperately onto a balcony overlooking the alley her and Sora had been walking down. Sayuri clambered over the railing, her heart pounding in her chest as she held Sora close to her.

“Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark!” The mottled black and tan dog yapped at her, staring upward, teeth bared angrily.

“B-Bad dog!” Sayuri squeaked fearfully. “Go home! Go away!”

“Bark! Bark!” The dog replied. Sayuri shrunk back against the wall and sunk onto her haunches, tail fluffed out and frizzy, knees shaking.

“T-There shouldn’t have been a d-dog here,” Sayuri stammered, reaching into the ratty burlap sack she carried and pulling out a tattered sheet of papyrus. She opened the paper and traced the poorly drawn lines scribbled on it. “No, there wasn’t a dog the last time I was here.” She pulled a chunk of charcoal from her sack and, setting Sora between her still shaking knees scrawled a stick figure dog on the paper, making certain the jagged teeth were extra-large.

“Mew,” Sora shivered in fear against Sayuri’s chest.

“Sayuri was scared, too. Why do they have to be so loud and angry? This makes-“Sayuri counted on her fingers the angry charcoal dogs drawn on her map. She quickly ran out of fingers and paused in thought, staring up at the glowering clouds gathering over the city, the light of the setting sun reflecting against the roiling, turbulent bottoms. “A hundred million, I think. I’m not sure, but there are a lot of dogs.”

“Mew.” Sora agreed.

“It’s ok,” Sayuri folded the paper and put it and the chunk of charcoal carefully back into her sack and snuggled Sora tight. “We’ll be over near the big houses soon and Sayuri knows there will be bakeries with cakes to share and no dogs.”

“Mew!” Sora purred.

“Yep! Yep! It sounds like paradise to me, too!” The first drops of cold rain fell from the leaden sky and Sayuri leapt up. She took Sora up gently and leapt from the balcony, over the wildly barking dog and onto the newly wet roof across the alley. “Let’s goooo!”

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