Tails Of The Catrai

By: Darkfang Magus

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Kalista

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1

Deep in the eastern forests, there were things hidden away that most considered naught but legend. It was in this Kalista Melentara was born to a rare breed of Catrai, denoted as the Amur Leopards. Like other Catrai, all females were born Catrai, while the males took on the traits of the father. Being able to mate directly with the many feline races, males are generally chosen from those feral beasts which inhabit each area. Though obscure they were far from being a lost barbarian race. Kalista's mother taught her to follow the ways of the family caste. They the Slayer caste were the most revered because they dealt justice in the most extreme cases.

Kalista was trained from as early as she could remember. The greatest focus was on speed, stealth, and ability to kill with a single blow, armed with any weapon. Not blessed with the powerful jaws of their jaguar relatives, or tremendous strength of the tigers, the Amur Leopards of the Slayer caste succeeded by attacking weak points of their enemies. This was what Kalista did best. Moving fluidly in melee to make a single hit, be it a quick slice to an artery or a vicious blinding attack to the eyes, she made sure that strength was no longer the deciding factor in a fight.

What Kalista did find to be a factor was that she had a hidden weakness. Her brothers and sisters were trained to go weeks without food, but she could not do this. The leopardess soon found that even three days without meat left her extremely tired. Any longer than that and she feared to become faint. Her mother did help her with this and found that a ration of one half liter of fresh blood every two days would keep her stamina up. Even worse, no matter how hard she trained and studied, she had no potential within the realm of magical arts.

Her mother taught her well, and by the time Kalista reached maturity she was among the most skilled warriors in her cast. What she lacked was experience. To remedy this, she requested a contract. Contracts for Slayers were decided by the town elders. They were the ultimate arbiters in all decisions and subsequently, were also the only ones which Kalista held any respect for, except her mother. She had been brought up to understand that she was better than everyone else. This was the leopardess's fate and gave her unwavering fortitude to carry out her duty.

As she grew, her beauty was not to be ignored either and villagers often called her Melantha, the dark flower. Dark she was, with a coat so black the spots were but a shimmer to the eyes. It was a shade only broken by her face, chest, and lower belly which shone alabaster. From shoulder to shoulder, and over the tops of her petite breasts was a "V" of white fur. Also, below the navel and down her bikini line was another white "V". Contrasting it all were deep golden eyes that faded to green around slitted pupils.

In less than two years, Kalista carried out over 100 contracts, and was getting bored. She felt somehow empty as if this was a means but without an end. To try and cure her boredom she requested to do a contract outside the region. Every week she did this, and every week she was denied for being too young. Her mother and even the elders saw that Kalista held great potential but her focus often wavered. Distractions set in and she had some trouble moving about unseen during distant jobs as she was forced to hunt every few days to slake her blood weakness. Added onto this was the fact that she was often too good at killing. Never before had a Slayer rushed out to find a target and hurried back so fast hoping for another. This concerned the elders greatly.

One of her biggest mistakes was a contract designed for a group of Slayers to work together. Kalista was enlisted and arrived at the location on time, but her companions never showed up. It was a shame upon them that they had been greatly delayed, but Kalista was the one to make the real mistake. Impatient, and considering that her help might never arrive, she approached the location alone.

In one night she assassinated 25 targets. Not to mention that this drained her energy and she was forced to drink their blood as they were slain. The town elders felt that this passionate love of killing was beyond justice, and suspended Kalista from any contracts for two cycles of the moon.

Unfortunately, holding Kalista back only made her more bored and filled with wanderlust. Not to mention too much time on her hands was hard to deal with. Rather than meditate during the off hours, Kalista found that she was lost in her own thoughts and imaginations. It was during these long hours that she began to hunger for something more than food. The leopardess knew she was better than everyone else, but her dependence on blood, and absolute lack of magical talent seemed akin to karma getting back at her. What she wanted more than anything, was to be truly better than anyone. Somehow, she must surpass her own mother. Furthermore, she wanted to surpass the town elders. That was the one thing she could not easily achieve. She already feared that the blood weakness would get worse, and as was the general consensus of the Amur Leopards, anything weak was soon to perish. Because of this, Kalista did not have time to become better and wiser than the elders. Everywhere she went was a rush, because the leopardess felt as if she were a candle burning at both ends.

She did not fear death in combat. Rather, she resented it should come so soon to her. This led her to the conclusion that everything she wanted could be cured by a single gift. Immortality, that was what she wanted more than anything else, because it gave her access to everything else. She wanted it so badly that it became a personal obsession. Still, no matter how much she searched and studied, the secret remained hidden to her.

She only found three references that seemed plausible. Faunus, Siana, and Sir Validus. Faunus was missing, and some doubted that he actually existed, Siana was dead or missing. That left Validus. She had to meet this person. It was even said that he was likely a Catrai, but accounts varied. Only problem was that nobody knew where he was either. Apparently to the west, but that left a lot of ambiguity. Before Kalista could start searching, she had to get permission to leave the region.

***

Kalista forced herself to be patient, and after spending months proving herself to be more capable and mature, she was finally granted her wish. She was given a contract to eliminate a dangerous being in the western lands. This was one tainted by evil and somebody apparently was willing to pay for disposal of this person. While preparing to leave, Kalista reviews the orders. The target goes by the name of Amura. She is a blue tigress with a three stripes across her left bicep, and was supposedly last seen at Warrington Castle. A blue tigress, Kallista has never seen such a coat coloration. The leopardess was also given a strip of cloth to identify the person's scent. She holds it to her nose and inhales deeply. The scent is exotic but somehow comforting and slightly musky. The leopardess licks her lips slowly. The scent still concerns her somewhat, but she supposes that she should get used to strange scents if traveling afar.

Still being young, Kalista has few belongings, and even fewer that would be worth bringing along. She carries a small satchel into which is stored a ceremonial loincloth, as well as some dried meat and a few silver coins to trade with, plus a set of lockpicks. Secondly, she hoists a small waterskin over her shoulder. She is ready.

Kalista stops for a moment and looks around the den. This place smells like home. The mingled scents of herself and her mother, as well as the soft dirt floor. On a wall hangs her mother's weapons. Kalista herself has no weapons. At this age she could have requested one, but she is most proficient with a knife, and simply choses to use her claws and teeth instead. Fewer items carried is less to be questioned about. This does not mean she isn't fascinated by the way her mother handles a long saber as if it weighed nothing.

Unarmed fighting is not easy and to defend herself while unarmed had always been a challenge No point in having a leopardess as talented as Kalista be eliminated by an amateur with a sword. During training she had once tried to deflect a blade with her claws and ended up with them cut down to her fingertips. This injury left her quite distraught as the the bases of the claws were so damaged they threatened to not grown back. Her mother was very understanding though, and helped Kalista get something useful.

Kalista looks at her paw as she slowly extends her claws. Instead of a yellowish white as usual, they are shiny black. Specially modified crystal sheaths the weak bony claws. She does fear crushing injuries as these covers can be shattered. Even so, unlike her toeclaws these do not need any sharpening and can cut through soft metal. Best yet, she has trained to deflect blade attacks with them.

An approaching figure pulls the leopardess from her reverie. Her mother, Luna Melentara is approaching.

Kalista bows to one knee, still keeping an eye on the approaching leopardess. Her mother motions to stand and Kalista softly walks towards her.

"Greetings daughter", Luna beckons.

"To you as well," Kalista returns.

The older leopardess smiles at her grown cub. "Are you prepared?"

Kalista nods quickly, "entirely."

With that the older leopardess embraces her daughter and they rub cheeks sociably.

"May the moon light your path, my young one."

"To you as well." Kalista replies. Nothing more to say, she turns and leaves the den. The world awaits her, and as twilight falls to night she does not fear being alone. She does not fear death. She fears weakness. She fears dishonor. The leopardess looks back only once. In her mother's eyes Kalista sees a look that she can not understand. Her mother looks sad. It is unusual, as if she thinks the young leopardess isn't coming back.

Kalista fears no being, none save herself. Only she can destroy that which is Kalista. Only her weakness, or her failure. Squaring her shoulders, the feline walks onward. So soon, she already hungers for blood.

*

The westward path is not an easy one. Kalista forges ahead, trekking over mountain trails and dense forest. The leopardess stays off the road when it was not too hassling, but even she has to appreciate to benefits of a well-placed bridge.

It takes about a week before she is in entirely strange lands. Behind her are all of the forest villages she is accustomed to. Ahead is where her future lay waiting.

To sustain herself during the long journey, Kalista has to hunt often, and opportunistically. This both slows her down and provides less than satisfactory meals. After three days in a row with nothing but squirrels, she is feeling a bit hungry for real meat.

Forty-two sunsets later. Kalista is nearing a new civilization. Ahead, there is a guard post on the road. She could opt to climb the mountains and go around, but the leopardess needs to get inside of a town soon anyway if she means to acquire any information. Not entirely sure of these people's customs, she opens up her satchel and pulls out the ceremonial garments. Holding the vestments up to view she grimaces slightly. Stupid people and their clothing. No way around it though. Kalista gets dressed in her still quite meager clothing and prepares to infiltrate.

As she nears the guard post, Kalista notices another point of disdain. There are two guards standing by, and they are humans. She really does not care for humans and had hoped to avoid them as much as possible on this journey, although her mother Luna had made it seem as if that would not be possible. Even if she must mingle with them, it does not mean she has to even remotely like it. There is just something about those naked monkeys that disgusts her. They are so terribly weak, it is a wonder the species could survive, and somehow this reminds Kalista of her own weakness. The young leopardess sighs heavily, due to her lack of magical talent she can not pass herself off as a human either, so this might present a problem.

No way around it now. Kalista walks casually up to the men. She can swear that they are looking at her with lust. The leopardess suppresses a groan of disgust and stands quietly as one of the men puts up a hand to halt her.

"Hold on there." He approaches as he states this. After a quick survey which seems gather that she isn't much of a threat, he speaks again. "What is your business here?"

Kalista tries to act meek. "I am on a pilgrimage to the White Shores." Acting like somebody on a religious voyage always made questions easier.

"Ah, I see. Even so I must check your belongings." She readily hands over her satchel and waterskin. all is going well, as she really has nothing to hide.

After searching through the bag carefully, the man hands it back to her.

"You are good to go, but I must give you a little advice. First of all, this is not a good place for one of the ferals such as yourself to be traveling around dressed with your fur so noticeable, you are lucky that I did not mistake you for an attacking beast. Furthermore, I have great doubts that you would reach the White Shores. At least not without being marauded by highwaymen. These are strained times. Especially for ones such as yourself." He is quiet for a moment.

"Very well, I have no cause to hold you up any longer. Just try not to get in any trouble around here okay?"

She smiles as cute as possible. "Not a problem sir."

Relieved, she walks past, flicking her tail a little bit is the only sign of her nervousness. She does not fear having to stand off against a couple of humans, but it is too early to be getting in trouble. She is concerned about the fact that it is supposedly a problem to be a feral here. Nobody had told her that before. She can not really understand it. Why should any "feral" as they called her, be afraid?.. Afraid of humans?

*

Eight days later. Kalista understands why ferals should be afraid. She sits quietly in a tavern and looks out the window with worried wonder. Humans... they are everywhere. In this little place there are hundreds of them. Wherever she goes, she feels picked out. It is making her beyond nervous. She is used to being invisible, slipping among trees and not making a noise. Here she has trouble finding a tree, and there is so much noise already that being quiet matters little. Her eyes take on an endlessly surprised look as she studies the whole of the matter. There are just so many of them.

Deep in thought, she sips her glass of dirty water. Do these people even understand the concept of cleanliness? she wonders.

Things are not going in her favor at all. There is nowhere to hunt, and the food that is offered in this place isn't red enough to slake her need. Kalista feel more fatigued each day. Furthermore, she does not yet have the information she needs to move on. It seems that nobody in this whole town knows anything, even as much as where the next town really is. She has gotten many conflicting stories about that. Kalista has even gone as far as to ask where the Warrington Castle is, but the first person didn't even know what a castle was. Getting discouraged, she looks at the new ring on her finger. A souvenir from her walk into town. Absently, she thinks back on the days before...

She had been doing well, but found that making camp in the middle of the day was not normal for these people. To avoid suspicion, she had moved a ways off the road. Not long after getting to sleep she was awakened by footsteps. Creeping up on her were three dirty men.

She had stayed motionless, hoping for surprise to be on her side. Just as the biggest one neared her, she jumped up to attack his throat. Her claws sank in very easily. She could feel the pulsing of prey in her grasp and it excited her. She had been so long without real blood. Kalista hungrily sank her fangs into the next as well, cutting off the ability to scream. As they fell to the ground, she voraciously licked the blood with her tongue, enthralled by the flavor. She wasn't supposed to feed on humans, but lost in the moment it didn't matter. And again, she suffered from losing her focus. Strong arms grappled with her and she was pulled backwards.

Kalista found herself in a bad position, with her arms locked behind her back and her legs held by another. The man she had attacked was sitting up coughing, but not out of the fight.

"You little hellcat, I will teach you a lesson." He barked angrily. Kalista was terrified, she did not like the sound of that at all. She hissed and spat trying to wriggle free, but in a weakened state already she was not able to efficiently fight back against brute strength, especially when outnumbered.

The bleeding man ripped the strap off her satchel and used it to bind her paws. Then the beating began. They punched and kicked the little leopardess mercilessly. Knocking her to the muddy ground each and every time she tried to get up. One of them began to laugh, insulting her very dignity, and she kicked at him vehemently. Of course, she managed to rake him with her toe-claws and he fell to the ground clasping a slashed leg. Before he could get back up, she rolled to the side and sank her fangs into his wrist. He got a chance to scream, and she held on victoriously. His friends tried to pull her off, but Kalista's angered jaws were not easy to break free. Finally, a kick to the side of the head left the leopardess dazed and she lost her grip.

The kicking then began with renewed vigor. It felt as if they were kicking her into the very ground. Every part of her body cringed in agony. Why? Why would anyone do something like this? She had not started this, nor did she have much to steal. She wondered this as the beating went with an endless flurry. In her heart, any pity she might have left for humans was lost. Even dumb animals did not act like this. They were just monsters.

Somehow, it ended. She lay in the mud, coughing thick black blood. Both that which she had swallowed earlier, and even more from a very hurt lungs. She started to whimper, but stopped herself. She still had her honor. That at least she would keep. There was shame at such a defeat, but that she could recover from. If she lived. Then it occurred, she was afraid to die. Never had Kalista felt such a thing. This was not combat, this was stupid and pointless. To die like this, it was like being one of the many victims she had been sent to avenge. A victim, she was nothing more than a victim.

The big man laughed now. Still coughing blood from his neck injury.

"Tame enough now. Come on boys, I bet she fucks like a real animal."

Kalista's loincloth was roughly pulled off. Somebody rolled her onto her back and another spread her legs apart. Kalista was disoriented and confused. She did not understand what they were doing, as the biggest man dropped his muddy pants. He knelt over her and gripped a meaty hand under her jaw as his phallus spread open the leopardess' sex.

"Now you just be good, and maybe this wont hurt so much. Actually... never mind Fight all you want, I like that too."

The little leopard squirms violently to get free. In the end though it is no use. Her body, so lithe, barely manages to quiver under the grip upon it. She struggles still, helplessly as her captor presses forward. His rigid purple member spreads her further. Above all the humiliation and even pain, Kalista resents how wrong it feels. Years of being the one to deal out judgment leave her scarcely prepared to play the part of a victim.

"Ha, nice and tight." the greasy man chuckles when her hymen breaks leaving a red trickle down her already bloodied body. Kalista curses and screams in all the languages of the feral beasts, but to her surprise the war-cry only gets them all laughing. Her small frame shudders with every thrust and Kalista wishes only for death. This she realizes is why they warned her to fear humans. Because they above all else are capable of such evil. She had killed many living beings, but never without reason. The defilement faced here, was at one time beyond her comprehension.

The sweaty man gasps somewhat as his pace quickens. Kalista is only thankful that it will soon be over. The muscles between Kalista's legs spasm betraying her animal urges. Her body seems to have no comprehension of what is going through the leopardess' mind. Kalista gasps when the sense of pleasure fills her, but she refuses to enjoy it; opting instead to focus all her rage on the ape above.

The man reaches down and grabs Kalista's breast painfully hard as his own peak rushes forth. Then it is over. Kalista feels the wet member retract from her body before she collapses in relief. The respite lasts an unfortunately short time. Kalista hisses menacingly when the others approach, their eyes hungry. She is dragged off into the forest where they tie her bound wrists to a tree. Her legs are then spread with ropes, both to ensure easy access and to prevent her from reaching forward to chew the bonds at her wrists. Once secure, each takes his turn at the lively young creature they had suffered so much to capture. Semen stains the fur down Kalista's legs and belly as they ride her over and over. She wonders how her discomfort can seem to make the men so vigorous. Snarls and hisses deter none now that they have such easy access.

Hours later, Kalista lies alone in the dark her bound hands still tied securely to the tree. Her body is sore and bleeding both inside and out. The only part not used being her mouth. Kalista only wishes they had been stupid enough to get near her sharp teeth. Now though, there is only her and the sounds of the night forest. Hands still bound tightly Kalista rests, praying for revenge.