The memories were now coming back to me.
I was walking up to the trees with Jill. We had just left a small town on the outskirts of a jungle-like forest. We headed in on the information that there was an individual light user deep within.
Jill and I had spent three days and nights trying to find the person of interest but ended up found instead.
After we had lost our path, Sasha found us. Both of us had sat down to think over what to do next. That was when a White Tiger-Kin female stepped from behind a tree. She wore a hide skirt and top, but the six eyes were what caught my attention.
"Why do you two keep walking in circles in my forest? You're so loud, and you are scaring our food away, making it harder to find food for my family."
"The thing is, we have been looking for your family," I explained, along with the reasons for wanting to find the Light user.
The tigress gave no outward signs of recognition but decided we didn't seem like a threat and took us to see her family. The girl showed a path that we followed to a large circular but made with bamboo and covered in massive leaves.
"Welcome to Na Funga Tigra, my family home."
"Nice little place you got here," I had tried to comment offhandedly, but I received a six-eyed scowl that made me feel more than uneasy, so I clamped my jaw shut.
Sasha had gone inside, and we heard angry voices, and then a loud connecting slap comes from inside. The sound of a body hitting the floor thudded and then stomping came closer until the door flap was flung open. A large Tiger man stormed out, followed by two boys that looked to be just short of adulthood.
"So you're the idiot that has been scaring off our food! Kill them, boys!" growled the enormous four-eyed orange and black tiger.
Four-eyed and orange with black stripes? Hmm? The boys he had called to kill us were already wrapped and partially strangled by Jill's water magic; they too had only four eyes and the same orange and black striped fur. I was starting to notice a pattern, and the earlier arguing and slap were making sense.
"What are you waiting for? Stop being useless cubs, and, hey, stop that! What do you think you are you doing?" The largest Tiger-kin struggled as mud climbed up his legs and restricted his moment.
"I came here for a reason. I would like to have your daughter join my party. I am willing to give you the compensation to help with her being gone."
I pulled out a large bag filled with clear glass chips as I spoke the last part. Jill had gasped at the time because that was almost all the chips we had, but I couldn't take a chance on him saying no. we didn't know enough about how many more there were inside, and after getting Jill to help with the mud, we would be in a bad spot if more opponents showed up.
I hand the bag to the large Tiger-Kin while letting the mud that held him in place. The bristling tiger looked like he might try to attack me for a brief moment but instead took the l offered bag. The man's eyes bulged in his head as he opened the bag filled with diamond chips.
Momentarily, losing his composure, a question spilled out unbidden from the tiger's slack jaw. "Are you sure this is ok?"
His mind snapped back into place, along with his mouth and hands holding the bag open. The expression he wore now was far more terrifying than the angry one he wore before. Now the tiger-man was smiling, and he turned back to the pair of panting boys.
"Go get Seradashitha, tell her to get all her things together, and to come out here. NOW!" The tiger roared at his sons before turning back to me. "Well, can't say I'll miss her. One less mouth to feed, ya see? Out here, that means somethin'. My name is Grestamorkaka, and you have my gratitude for this gift, but don't ever come back here, ya hear me?"
Grestamorkaka turn and went back inside, but then Jill grabbed my arm, pulling me closer.
"What are you doing? That's practically all of our chips! What are we going to do after this?" Jill's voice was distraught with worry.
"I know, but who knows how many more are inside or around in the area? We are already lost, and we haven't seen a single soul but these people since we got into this place. It's not like we can just bribe the local wildlife to tell us how to leave."
The pressure on my arm lessened and then fell away as Jill stepped back. She didn't argue because I had explained myself. Suddenly, both of us turned around to the sound of commotion.
Grestamorkaka pushed his daughter out of the flap as he followed her. He was carrying a chainmail shirt slung over his shoulder, and when he stepped off the porch surrounding the hut, he tossed it to me. I caught the pile of metal rings with an "umph" and had to take a step back to prevent me from tipping over.
"You'll be needing this if you plan on having your way and takin' her, or she will tear you to pieces. Get over to her new master and listen to him, ya, Molly!"
Grestamorkaka raised his hand, but Seradashitha hurried over to me quickly, with fear in her eyes. She cowered in front of me, kneeling. Gone was the strong and silent girl from before. Now she was just another abused and scared girl.
I kneeled in front of her and leaned into her ear. Her body was shaking in fear.
"Let's get out of here, shall we?" I asked quietly.
The shaking slowed, and I stood, offering her my hand. Hesitantly she reached up and took my hand. Claws dug into my hand as I pulled her up, but I used every reserve of concentration I had not to change my expression.
When Seradashitha let go of my hand, and her claws retracted, I let a sigh of relief go unintentionally. Seradashitha had looked to me in alarm and then fear, taking a step back. Jill stepped beside me and took the hand blood poured down, while I caught Seradashitha by the arm before she could back away further.
"It's ok, I'm fine. I barely felt it, you didn't hurt me, and I won't hurt you. Things will change now, so you needn't be scared anymore."
As I spoke, Jill used her Water magic to heal where Seradashitha's claws had pierced. Seradashitha's eyes went wide at this, and I felt some of the tension leave her body. When I looked up, Grestamorkaka had already gone back inside.
We left and never looked back, then after a short while of walking, we stopped, and I turned to Seradashitha.
"Seradashitha, hmm? Did you have another name your friends would call you?"
"Friends? No, umm, my father called me Molly, but," Seradashitha's voice trailed off as she looked at the ground.
"No, that won't do. We will be your family from now on, so you need a name that is easy to say."
Jill pushed me out of the way with a shove, giving Seradashitha a warm smile. She took both of Seradashitha's paw-like hands in hers and looked into her eyes as she spoke gently to the scared tiger girl.
"Dave tends to be a bit too straightforward. My name is Jill. Why don't we call you, Sasha? Hmm?" Jill pulled her into a hug, and I walk away a bit to give them space.
After that, Sasha was always the reliable one to find us work at the oddest jobs. Even though I tended to make us broke in the name of justice ninety-eight percent of the time, I was usually the one left doing the work. The scales of balance needing correcting or something, according to the girls.
Sasha's six eyes opened, looking into my two, and nuzzled in closer, but that also sunk her claws in deeper.
Blood squirted, and I let out a groan of pain.
Sasha's scream after her realizing she had mortally wounded me woke Jill out of her death sleep. Jill sealed me up while Sasha kept apologizing. Maxine made sure to point out that it was my fault and that I should know better.
"Dave, I'm really sorry."
"It's ok, really. I just forgot the shirt, though we might need to get a lighter version."
"So, Sasha, what's this job?" Mikota peeled herself off the bed and slid over to Sasha's side.
She started to tickle Sasha but had to dodge when Sasha grabbed for her.
"Naughty kitty, no claws now. That's very impolite." Mikota giggled as she moved away.
That was a point, literally. Sasha's claws were crazy sharp. Maybe I could find some sort of night covers. I put a hand on Sasha's shoulder to stop her as she tried to advance on Mikota.
"Alright, let's go find Kyrina and get out of this small room before something gets broken."
I led our party down the stairs and out the inn door, waving to Karman, the Dark Elf bartender, still washing a cup. The girls had said that Kyrina or Kyrin was practicing just outside of town. They didn't want to be disturbed and said they would meet at the inn for lunch.
"So, lead the way then," I gestured to Sasha once we were outside.