The Devil's Cat

@ficklefeline liked for a starter))

“I don’t mean to sound like I’m trying to chase you away but, you’re sitting in my alley. I’d appreciate it very much if you not enter this place since it’s marked. For both your safety and mine, you should really look out for the gang signs you know?”

She said slowly pointing at a spray painted gang sign on the alley wall. It seemed to be in the shape of a distorted snake of some sort, though there was a bold red mark across it. It looked as though a child had been finger painting and spread red paint all over it to try and cross it out but the shade of the red, suggested it might’ve not been paint.  She spoke monotonously but she genuinely wanted to inform them with a warning. The city they were in was dangerous and she out of all people knew how dangerous it could get.

“Please be cautious. I suggest you return home now.”

Her cat ears lowered sheepishly. “I’m sorry for intruding. I didn’t know that the sign meant this alley belonged to someone.” 

If Ater was surprised at the appearance of the blonde, she was even more surprised that the alley was apparently her territory. She was clearly a child, but the girl acted unlike any children she knew. They were usually much more cheerful than this. Ater looked closely at the sign once the girl pointed it out. It was actually impressive that someone as young as her was able to keep trespassers away with it.

"You don’t need to worry about me, there isn’t a lot I can’t handle." Ater reassured. She wasn’t lying either, she became quite a capable fighter over the years. She doubted that any humans lurking around at night would give her trouble.

While Ater didn’t want to refuse the blonde after she invaded her territory, she didn’t want to leave so soon after just entering the city. That would make her whole trip a waste.

“My home is pretty far from here, and I haven’t been in this city for long. Can’t I stay here a little while longer?” She requested, trying to smile endearingly. “Maybe you can show me somewhere safer to visit.” 

  The portal was powerful. Unholy powerful, enough that her first time led her being knocked unconscious. Now, she was stronger. Dehydrated, emaciated, and completely miserable, yet stronger still. She kept her consciousness, but her ears were ringing and her vision was darkened as if it were night.

  Yet, collapsing wasn’t an option. Not with… somebody right there. The inquisitor closed her eyes, trying to steady her ragged breathing.

  “I’m…” She stood still for some moments. Then she hit the ground, falling onto one knee. Nero gritted her teeth, then looked back up with invictus in her eyes.

  “…fine…” She sounded as if she hadn’t drank in days, that level of hoarseness. She wasn’t being receptive to any help, it seemed, “…What do you want…?”

Ater’s eyes widened as the young woman fell down. The demon took a step forward and put a hand on her shoulder, her face frowning in concern. She was surprised that the stranger dismissed her offer to help. She obviously wasn’t fine. Either she was just being stubborn, or didn’t want to trust Ater. The feline supposed the latter made some sense. 

She wondered why she was traveling in such poor condition. Unless the portal somehow made her weaker? Using magic did require some energy, but Ater never heard of something like this happening.

“whatever, don’t get used to it. I’m still mad.” She huffed.

“Seriously though… what could have Etihw so down, anyways..?”

Ater let out a awkward giggle. It didn’t look like Grora was going to attack her today, but she was still a little on edge.

“Tch. I could think of FAR better cats to have as a pet, frankly…”

She looked away.”But… I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed Etihw wasn’t at their best. So uh. Good job. Or whatever.”

“Who? Like Arbus? Hmm...” Ater pondered for a moment, ignoring the insult. “I don’t think I can argue with that. Arbus is pretty great!"

“I don’t see why you gotta TELL him. Shouldn’t he know they’re down by now?”

The demon twitched nervously at the sight of the angel. She gave her a forced smile to appear more composed.

🌙 @ficklefeline Liked for a Starter with Wadanohara 🌙

  SHE WOULD TAKE ONLY THE BRIEFEST PAUSE before the brightest of smiles would bloom itself upon the witch’s features. Having been so focused on repairing one barrier stone after another, Wadanohara had nearly forgotten to take a much needed break.. As it would be so very much advised by that of her own familiars, her friends. There was certainly no saying… well, no, the moment the others had caught sight of her breaking just the slightest sweat… especially Fukami.

  It was a pleasant surprise, however, to see that someone else had decided to pay this isle a visit. While uncertain of their own intentions in doing so, it couldn’t have been too far off from theirs. Not with the way the stranger was gazing ever so intently at the scenery then, with her back still turned to them… It was then did the sea witch began approaching the cat-eared stranger, making her presence known with a few louder taps of her feet to the earthy grounds themselves.

  “Ahh… it’s so pretty!” She had begun as she went on over to the other’s side, “… isn’t it?”

Ater's wings fluttered in delight as she looked at the beautiful flowers and tall trees. What a wonderful place the portal led her to! She had to come back here again with Arbus; she was sure her sister would like it as much as she did. She stared nervously at the water before turning back to the scenery. Ater was grateful that the portal manifested on the isle itself rather than on the sea. 

She crouched down to examine one of the stars lying around, wondering what it was made of. Was it supposed to be a starfish? Did that mean she could eat it? Maybe she would try it later when she was hungry.  

Ater turned around as she heard footsteps approach her. She looked down at the girl who addressed her, mildly surprised at how short she was compared to her. She gave her a nod before smiling widely.

Great to know that she ate fish, but he did too, and she was a feline, so he supposed it wasn’t anything worth speaking about. The Pitch Cat Witch was the same, after all, and he had to deal with her.

“You’re the second demon I’ve met. The first chick was…” Well, he didn’t quite know how to describe her other than, “Vermilion?” The color, and her name. Jeez, the naming conventions of these people. “So there’s another like you. Are you the only two of your kind?”

Ater’s cheerful tone was odd, but it was enough to tell him that she meant no harm; it wasn’t teasing or antagonistic compared to other people he’d met in the past. The Great White leaned back, claws scraping lightly at the stone they were perched on, an eyebrow raising at the demon.

“Yeah?”

“It’s cool, and wet, I guess.” But she was a cat, so she should’ve known that much. “It’s a lot deeper than it looks, and even I haven’t explored the deepest canyons down there. All different kinds of fish and sea creatures too, and there’s precious stones and rainbow coral that you can find if you look hard enough.” It seemed odd to have to explain his lifestyle to anyone, but Samekichi supposed it wasn’t the worst.

“Can you even breathe underwater? You seem more like a land creature to me, so I can’t even show you what I’m talking about.” Unless he dived, or gave her rides, but he only did that for friends and he just met her!

Ater tried to put a face to the name, but her mind came up blank. “I never heard of a Vermilion, so she's probably from another world. I don’t hang out much with the villagers, but there aren’t that many of them, so I think I would have heard about it if a demon left our world." Considering the chaotic state of other worlds, most were reluctant to leave behind the peace of the Gray Garden. Ater could understand that, even if she occasionally found it a little boring from time to time. 

She shook her head. “There are other cat demons, but I can’t think of any that have wings like me and Arbus-- that’s my twin, by the way. Me and her are Lord Kcalb’s most trusted underlings!” She said proudly. Lord Kcalb was the best Devil, so Ater was always happy to show off her loyalty toward him.

“I would love to look at the coral! Are the stones very deep down? It’d be nice to take one back home...” The demon trailed off, looking wistful. She briefly considered looking for one herself, but immediately dismissed the idea. One nice-looking stone wasn’t worth getting wet.

“Do the fish taste good down there? You’ve tried some, right? I wish could eat them myself, but I hate swimming.” She thought for a moment. Ater didn’t know much about sharks, but she was pretty sure they ate fish. Those sharp teeth had to be for something. 

“Nope, that ability would be pretty useless for me, since I would never want to go underwater anyway.” She furrowed her eyebrows suddenly, confusion plain on her face.