This story is copyrighted 2018 by Kaereni, may not be excerpted, reprinted, reproduced, or reposted in any form without the express written consent of the author. Visitors to this web site may read or temporarily download pages but are not permitted to modify or re-distribute them.
The story may contain sexual activities and situations that are to be read only by readers above the legal age of consent. All characters are above the age of 18. The story is not to be read in locations where such stories are illegal. If you are not of legal age, or live in the wrong place, please do not read.
Authors note: Thanks go to Ed for editing my work. Any errors remaining are my own fault and not his.
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"The cave is over the next ridge," Baby Girl replied simply.
Looking ahead John figured it would take them at least three hours to get to the top and then it would be too close to sunset to do anything. "We will stop here," He looked at the pair and saw that Tracker was in better condition than Baby Girl. Looking around he didn't see anything really good for a camp site so settled on some small fir trees he could see across the river. "We will cross over and camp in that grove. Tracker, please lead the way across."
They had just crossed and made themselves a little bed out of pine straw when John caught sight of movement across the river. "Get down," he said mentally. They watched as a band of cat women walked up the riverside from downstream. The women were armed with spears and knives and were carrying a dead moose strung on a pole. As they passed by John said, "Stay here, I want to see where they go." He saw concern in their eyes and added, "Don't worry, I am unarmed and will be good."
As quiet as a church mouse John followed them from across the river. He crossed the ridge opposite them and found a settlement right where everyone had died. The settlement was almost a town with stone shelters, roads, and a blacksmith. He could hear the steady ping, ping, pound of metal against metal. From his vantage point the hunting party went to the center of the town and set down the meat. There must have been over a hundred cat women who gathered around looking at the kill. As he watched, some children herded goats up the hill and into the cave before closing a gate behind them. Instead of making contact, John worked his way back down to the others and sat thinking.
Baby Girl looked at Tracker and then back to John, she felt his confusion but not the reason why. "What is wrong John?" she asked mentally as she rested her arm on his leg.
Instead of replying directly John reached out with his mind, "Kitty?"
"Yes beloved," Kitty replied.
"Did Ann say she killed everyone else before she died?"
"No, I just assumed she did by her actions," Kitty replied. "Why?"
"Because there is a fucking town up here! Blacksmith, stone houses, they are even herding goats."
"Could they have moved in afterwards?"
"I don't know we have not made contact yet."
"Okay John, please be careful."
"They are alive?" Baby Girl asked. In her mind she felt Candy and Kitten rejoicing with the news.
"Someone is..." John replied simply. He wished he had Honey with him; he was a warrior not a diplomat. "We will make contact in the morning," he added. Taking a piece of jerky he chewed on it as he thought, "You two get some rest, I will stand guard tonight."
"Baby Girl can help so John sleeps."
"Tracker wants to help Baby Girl."
"No, I need you both well rested just in case something happens." As the pair went to sleep, or pretended to, he looked upstream and thought. If he was the leader of the town, what would he want? Have a scout report them? That would work but he didn't see any scouts out. Walk right in? Oh hell no... What if the three of them sat in plain view across the river as the sun came up? That might work assuming the leader was a morning person. Should he send them back and go alone? No, he needed Baby Girl there to see if she knew anyone. And Tracker was too young to go back alone.
Throughout the night he chewed jerky and listened to the sounds of the forest. As the predawn light illumined the sky he woke the pair. "Come with me," he said mentally. They worked their way back up to where he was the day before and sat across from the town by the pool. He still had hoped that he would find a guard or someone but that didn't work out. The sun was well up when the first woman saw them. She was carrying two buckets. She stopped, looked at them for a long moment, filled her buckets and walked back up to town.
"You would think strangers stop by every day," John thought to the girls.
It was almost half an hour later when another cat woman came down and sat across from them. For a long moment she did not say anything. "You are very polite for a stranger, thank you."
"I thought it would be best this way. I am John and with me are Tracker and Baby Girl. Although she used to go by the name Beth."
"Beth?" The woman stood and ran to the edge and dived in. She made it across in a few short strokes. Reaching the edge, she ran up to Baby Girl and hugged her tightly. "It's you!"
"Tammy?" Baby Girl said first with question in her voice and then again in joy. "We thought you were dead."
Tammy frowned a bit and said softly, "Some didn't make it." She closed her eyes and added, "It was a bad winter. But you knew that..." She brightened up a bit and asked, "Who else made it?"
"Kitten, Kitty, Shadow, Karen and myself." Baby Girl paused and then added, "Kitty was the one everyone called the goddess."
