7 years ago...
It was a stormy night within the village, and a young Nekomata with chocolate-colored hair had been occupied comforting a smaller, younger girl at her side.
The Nekomata's hands, with features that of a human's, was caressing the head of a small girl who's locks were split between black and white.
A loud crash of thunder and lightning flickered across the skies, momentarily lighting up the dimly lit room. Karra was huddled up on her bed, curled into the fetal position as she clenched together in reaction to the booming storm. The older girl, sitting beside her, was caressing Karra's head—watching her closely with soft eyes. Her eyes were that of jade, glistening at the poor girl with care.
"It's going to be okay Karra, it's only a storm~" the young girl tried to explain soothefully.
Little Karra whimpered softly, as small tears were poking out from the corners of her eyes.
"I don't like it..." she pouted, "I've never liked it... It's scary..."
The jade-eyed girl tried to read Karra's reactions with understanding, and her slender tail curled around Karra protectively.
"You don't have to be afraid. The storm isn't going to hurt you. It's... a friendly storm," she tried to rationalize.
Karra turned her face towards the jade-eyed girl, looking at her with trembling paws that were clasped together against herchest.
"But Maybelle, if it's a friendly storm, then why does it keep shouting so heavy?" Karra asked.
The thunder crashed once again—lightning lighting up the space—to which Karra immediately flinched, clenching back into her fetal squeeze.
Back then, Karra was barely seven years old. Her closest friend—who was like an older sister to her—was Maybelle, the Havana Brown neko.
Maybelle was unbothered by the storm, but seeing Karra this way, she made an informed decision.
"You know what I'm going to do?" Maybelle asked while caressing Karra's head. "I'm going to give that storm a piece of my mind."
Speaking those words, Maybelle stood up from Karra's bedside, which had Karra lifting her head in a confused curiosity—following Maybelle's movements with her eyes.
"Huh? The storm?" Karra spoke softly.
Maybelle went to the window and opened it. As she poked her head out the window, supporting herself on the ledge, she looked to the sky and began to shout.
"Hey you stupid storm! Go away!! How dare you frighten my sister?!" Maybelle cried out. "Don't make me come up there—you'll be sorry!!"
Observing this, Karra fell perplexed, as Maybelle's attempt to make her feel better seemed to be working—until...
CRASH! BOOM!
...and Karra immediately flinched, curling up again.
"Hey!! Don't you talk back to me! I'll have you know I'm the very disciple of the strongest man there is!! Do you hear me?!" Maybelle cried.
As Maybelle removed herself from the window, her face was flustered. Having been shouting at essentially no one had her feeling a little embarrassed, but at the same time, pleased. She had soon turned her attention to Karra, who in turn had slightly uncoiled herself to glance back at Maybelle with a growing curiosity.
"Is that... really going to work...?" Karra asked quietly, a bit squeaky from her trembling vocals.
Maybelle shrugged one of her shoulders, and proceeded back over to stand at Karra's bedside.
"It makes me feel better," she replied, hoping Karra would buy her simpler excuse. "Come on, let's find somewhere a little more quiet," she added, as she reached out to offer her hand.
Karra examined Maybelle's gesture, and soon slowly reached out her paw to accept it.
Not long after, once the storm had cleared, Maybelle had exited Karra's home with the latter coming out to follow closely behind her. It was early morning, and the sun was barely starting to rise.
"I've got to get going back to the dojo now. Sir Ken will be expecting me soon," Maybelle calmly explained.
Karra quickly sped to Maybelle's side on her tip toes, and latched on to clothes.
"But... what if the storm comes back and you're not here?" Karra asked.
Maybelle turned to the young Karra, and put on a brave face with a stellar grin. Pumping up her arm and slapping her hand down on the narrow muscles, Maybelle knew exactly how to answer.
"Then I'll just have to fly up there and smash it to bits!" she proudly proclaimed, as she began to cackle with a certain glee.
Karra blinked up to Maybelle with wide eyes and a tiny blush. At this moment, Karra didn't know what to think. However, Karra's eyes soon sealed as a momentary laughter poured out of her in faint delight.
"You're silly~" claimed Karra. In all honesty, her 'big sister' always knew how to make her feel a little better.
The two weren't related, but they always treated each other as true sisters. These two were inseparable, yet as the people's traditions dictate, they would soon be as such—for Maybelle's rite of passage was just upon the horizon.
Maybelle's proud cackle calmed, and she immediately ruffled Karra's hair from atop her head, showing Karra the same loving affection that she had come to know.
"I'll see you again soon okay? I'll be back after next sunrise, but as for you, you really need to get some sleep," she explained.
"I'll try..." Karra softly agreed. She was in fact tired, but something about her sister having to leave her side left Karra feeling a little homesick, and almost reluctant.
As Maybelle started off, Karra felt a slight panic, as she instinctively began following behind her, stopping herself a few steps in—and Karra then quietly observed as her favorite person walked off into the distance.
Resting atop the dojo, Maybelle was sitting quietly, staring off into the distant sky—Kenrir had made his appearance.
He came leaping up the gateway side—his foot catching the roof's edge as he stood up as though it was a simple step. In his densely-nailed hands, Kenrir carried two small tea cups, which his thumbs held covered with their corresponding lids. Back then, Kenrir wore no ribbons with his garment, as they would later serve as a reminder to himself. He approached Maybelle, sitting down a few feet from her side as he held out to her one of the spots of tea.
"You're earlier than usual," Kenrir noted as he passed off the tea.
Maybelle's gaze shifted over to the cup offered to her, and she accepted it like it was the most natural thing to her in the world.
"Yeah... I've had a lot on my mind," Maybelle faintly explained, as her attention turned back in the general direction, though her gaze now fell upon the vessel.
"Well, you never were one to miss a sunrise. The dews have been particularly crisp this morning as well."
Kenrir's tone reflected that of something beyond the relationship of a teacher and their disciple—it was the fond pitch of a friend.
"They have. And this is something I wouldn't want to miss for the world," she replied.
A soft smile peeled upon Maybelle's face. She soon removed the tiny lid, and sipped the steaming tea.
"You've gathered the dews," she incitefully exclaimed. "I can taste the grass and blossoms..." A fondness appeared within her eyes.
"No such morning is quite as perfect as this," Kenrir claimed, smiling back to Maybelle whose eyes hadn't left the cup in hand. "It's not every day you get such a fulfilling dew. Tomorrow may be little."
She took another sip—the tea almost like no other.
"Can I... convey something to you?" Maybelle asked, as the soft smile dropped away.
Kenrir's gaze descended into that of a serious understanding.
"You are my disciple. There is nothing I wouldn't allow you to convey," he replied.
Maybelle's head weighed down everslightly, as she eyed the fluids within the vessel, and her hand cupped it underneath.
"It's about Karra... I... I can't help but feel like she should've been one of the lucky ones..."
Kenrir's attention shifted ever so slightly, his ears drooping a degree in reflection.
"Your friend?" he asked for clarification.
Maybelle nodded solemnly, staring into her subconsciously swirling vessel.
"You see, she's like a sister to me—I can't explain it... but these feelings I have... I wish more for her than she has now," she addressed.
Kenrir listened intently to every word.
"Karra has been growing up fatherless, and I know that's more than common, but... I would have wished more for her..."
The steam from Maybelle's cup began to dissipate, and Kenrir squinted slightly, feeling somehow touched by his disciple's words.
"I've been thinking about it for a while, and... I want to do whatever I can to fill that gap..."
Maybelle's words hung in the air; and Kenrir could feel the deep meaning behind every syllable.
"I think... I would be happier if she could look at me as a brother..."
The air tightened, but Kenrir looked to Maybelle with nothing but pure understanding.
"Have you brought these thoughts before her?" Kenrir asked Maybelle—his voice hanging in a gentle warmth.
Maybelle shook her head, his thoughts focused on a scattered dream.
"No. I don't think she would understand... but—" Maybelle paused, turning their head to face Kenrir with an earnest determination, "I'll let her know when I get back home."
Kenrir's face was held expressionless—his eyes peering into the depths of Maybelle's certainty.
"That's awfully brave of you – to dare try picking up the prints of another," Kenrir announced to them, "Not many are so willing to walk the path."
"I just..." Maybelle's thought clung to theair.
"I want Karra to have the life so few have..."
"Do you feel her unfulfilled?" Kenrir asked.
Maybelle immediately shook their head, the cup lowering with their hands.
"It's not that I have any doubts. It's just that... I want her to have more... I want her to have the experiences that I have had–and I don't want her to feel for any reason, nor any point alone..."
Cherry blossoms breezed as the hair of Kenrir and Maybelle both waved messily, yet subtly in the wind. The sun lit up the heavens, casting shades of red and violet upon the morning sky. The hollow sky reflected that of the morning dew, the near clouds that of cherry blossoms as the light-bathed crystalline shone shyly in the distance.
A deep breath pressed upon thy lungs, as Kenrir felt a deep warmth contently at bay. Kenrir was proud of his disciple, coming to understand a new side of her he never thought before. A subtle smile creeped upon his face. His eyes reflected that of genuine and affectionate praise. He was surprised, yet somehow fulfilled.
"I have no doubt in my mind that you will be back triumphant," Kenrir exclaimed.
Maybelle laughed suddenly with glee, and soon turned his attention to his master.
"I'll be back before even you realize I'm gone!" they declared.
Maybelle was confident, without a single doubt in their mind—though their gaze dropped off and a sigh soon left their lips.
"I just hope Karra understands if I take longer than I realized..."
Kenrir observed close and quiet, not even offering himself a blink. Soon, Maybelle's eyes reached his once again.
"Would you... please look after her... while I'm away?"
Maybelle's voice wore heavy, carrying all the love, sympathy, and heartbreak that one could bear.
Kenrir saw as Maybelle's eyes spoke a certain sadness—a sadness pleading.
"I will do what I can... but this journey is up to you."
Kenrir felt a sort of knot in his chest—a knot tied in both devotion and duty.
"Thank you..." Maybelle murmured, their voice growing subtle and weak as the slowing lowering the chin to raise the cup upon their lips.
It was a deep moment for the pairing—a moment upon moments.
The following day after, Maybelle was soon returning to the home aspromised. A shuffle in the leaves caught the attention of a small someone who was lounging in the living space with her family. Immediately through the window, Karra could be seen rising up, as she rushed towards the door.
Many trees lined the path Maybelle was following upon, all complete with green foliary. Karra ran out the door along the dirt path, and clashed into Maybelle—arms wide. Karra was overwhelmed, her heart filling heavily after going without her dear sister for more than a day. The scene was silent. Maybelle instinctively wrapped their arms over Karra's shoulders.
"May~ I've missed you..." Karra admitted wholeheartedly.
"It's okay~ I promised I'd be back soon didn't I?" Maybelle chimed in softly. "I'm right here..."
Soon, the exchanged love and relief would die down, as we move ahead to that of Maybelle's departure day.
Maybelle was heading towards the village coast, where the departure ceremony was to be held. Karra, by Maybelle's side, was latched onto her big sister's arm—pulling herself tightly against it as they walked together. Leaves fell all around, and Maybelle was already wearing her new customary attire for the journey ahead.
"Sissy... do you really have to go?" Karra asked quietly. She was sifting her footing, quickly tiptoeing in small steps to keep up with her sister's steady pace. She turned her gaze up to meet Maybelle's forward facing expression. Karra's big, doe eyes reflecting that of sadness and longing.
Maybelle continued walking, as they carried on to give their answer, "It's our people's tradition to set out before we turn fourteen. We have to redeem ourselves for the pasts of our people—and Master Ken says that I'm ready."
Maybelle turned their attention down, now laying their eyes on Karra's moping expression—the way Karra clung against their arm, and the way her eyes stared back—Maybelle knew exactly what she was feeling.
"You don't have to worry so hard," Maybelle insisted. They stopped in their tracks, and Maybelle lowered themself to be more at eye level with Karra. "Once I find someone in need of my care, the rest will be a breeze. I'm going to be alright."
Karra hadn't let go of Maybelle, not even for a moment. She continued to stare into her big sister's gaze with glazed eyes.
"And... once you're done... you'll come back to me?"
Maybelle smiled tenderly at Karra's vulnerable question, and a more confident smile soon grew. Maybelle rested their spare hand on Karra's shoulder.
"Karra, I'm going to be back home again before you even know it~" Maybelle answered confidently.
That's when little Karra tugged against Maybelle's arm, giving a desperate gaze.
"You promise...?" her little voice asked.
When Karra and her sister arrived at the scene of the ceremony, they were standing at the very edge of the village—on the south side—just slightly into the outskirts where two trees stood in a divide—bearing soft, white blossoms.
There, stood all of Maybelle's loved ones, including Kenrir, three adult women, and another grown man. The time for Maybelle's parting ceremony was now to begin.
The scene was quiet, and two of the women stopped Karra from walking along as Maybelle took a few steps towards the divide.
"We start this ceremony to give the blessings of our people, in hopes to bear guidance for that of all those within our race. May you go well, and find your way through the life that guides with the pride of our people, and the tranquility of our homeland. May the heart of the great tree find you~"
These were the words spoken aloud, as Maybelle soon turned their shoulder to look back to everyone in attendance.
Maybelle's eyes first fell upon Karra, who stood there trembling with a tear-filled gaze.
"My dear, you're going to do great. I just know that you'll make our village proud~"
These words were spoken by a woman, who stood closely by the only other man that wasn't Kenrir.
"Your pride will carry our people, and our family to greater heights, and we will all be looking forward to when our paths cross again," the man next to her added in. "I am proud to have such a young woman as yourself to call my daughter."
"Thank you... Mom— Dad—" Maybelle's eyes had caught them as they spoke, and Maybelle smiled, feeling wholesome and pleased. "Take care of yourselves. I'll think of you..."
Kenrir watched in silence, his part complete. He wanted to smile for his disciple, but he already knew inside himself that he would miss the bond they shared, and he hoped that they would be back with them all again soon.
"Don't take too long Miss May~" a young woman stated, her hand holding up on Karra's right shoulder.
"Cinni and I will be waiting for your return," this familiar voice, was Mora, her hand holding Karra by the left side.
Maybelle drew their attention to the two women standing at Karra's side. Maybelle smiled confidently, bringing their hand over their heart. "Don't worry, I'm not going to let anything stop me~" Maybelle declared, bearing a prideful grin, "Not in a million years~"
Everyone except Karra and Kenrir gave Maybelle a nod of approval, as Maybelle then turned away, and began walking through the forest.
Karra, with a pull on her heart, broke free. She began running to Maybelle, but was soon stopped again as Mora and Cinni reached out to hold her back.
"Sissy, wait—!" she cried out, her voice small and helpless, "Please don't forget your promise~! You promised to come back to me~!!"
Maybelle stopped in their tracks, as they turned over their shoulder to see Karra's tear-dripped eyes. Maybelle's own expression softened, and their own eyes glazed over. Gently smiling, Maybelle extended out to their dear sister a heartfelt nod—a knob swelling in their throat, as a tear trickled down their face.
As Maybelle slowly turned to continue their voyage, Karra dropped to her knees and let out a deeply battered cry. Every sound Maybelle heard, and every sound made their lips tremble as more tears flooded across their face.
"I'll be home soon..." The thoughts of their promise echoed within Maybelle's mind, and Karra could still be heard screaming with heartbreak out in the distance.
"Sissssyyy—!!"
In a vision, a droplet falls, rippling upon a puddled surface...