The Kaidia Chronicles 3: A Cat's Tale (F/F)

[NovusImperatrixScorpio]

Kaidia found herself on the road, a long way from home as the evening fell. Just last eve, she'd spent the night in her bed with Rose. Tonight, she was in a clearing in the forest that lay roughly a hundred yards from the main road. Kai laid her bedroll out on the ground and sighed. The warrior flopped down on the soft, if somewhat thin bedroll and looked across the fire to make sure her horse was secure.

Kai laid her head down with a sigh and closed her eyes. Her evening meal of salted meat and dry bread had been filling if not amazingly appetizing. But regardless, Kai was full, moderately comfortable, and warm. She closed her eyes and pondered the task ahead.

That missive she'd received the night before had been a request. The sender had been staying at a local inn within the city. Kai had met with the man in question this morning, a noble who ruled a city two days travel from Kaidia's home city. Unfortunately for him, he'd been pushed out by a demoness who'd moved into his manor and simply taken over the city, quickly enslaving the inhabitants. He'd escaped when he'd fought the demoness and she'd thrown him from the roof of the manor. She'd carelessly assumed he'd died in the fall. He had not died, obviously. He and Kaidia had drawn up a quick contract. She was to do anything and everything to eradicate the demoness.

So the warrior had clearance to do whatever it took and she was going to be paid a hefty sum to do it. She liked those kinds of jobs. She didn't have to worry about collateral damage or holding back. She could just cut loose and destroy her target. The thought brought a little smile to the woman's lips.

That smile vanished as her horse gave a nervous whinny and shifted. The mercenary sat up and opened her eyes. Her gaze shifted to the forest beyond the horse. At first, she saw nothing. But, a moment later, she caught a glimpse of a pair of glowing eyes just beyond the tree line. Kaidia thought it might be a wolf and drew her sword. What came out of the trees was certainly not a wolf.

In fact, it... or rather, she... was mostly human. But not quite. The young woman standing at the edge of the forest had dark hair, a toned body, feline ears, a feline tail, and slitted pupils in her golden eyes. Kaidia found out, in rather short order, that the woman had fingernails that grew into sharp claws and set of sharp teeth as well. The catgirl wasted little time and didn't bother with words at all. She just leapt at Kai, claws out, an ill intent in her eyes. She was a sight to see if she wasn't attacking you. Wearing shorts that barely covered more than her panties did and fit her very snugly. Her sleeveless top was form fitting in the same way and knee high boots completed the ensemble. The leather her outfit was made of was black and used to be quite nice. It looked as though it had seen better days, however.

Kai ducked and rolled to the side, sheathing her sword as she came up to her feet just in time to see the girl leaping toward her again, having quickly recovered from the missed pounce. Kai grappled the catgirl in mid-pounce, dropped back, shoved her foot into the girl's gut, and simply flipped the neko over her. The catgirl gave a noise of surprise, then landed on her back with a thud. Kaidia leapt up and jumped atop the stunned neko. The feline girl lashed out with those clawed nails and caught Kai across the cheek. The four parallel cuts on Kai's cheek burned. They also pissed the warrior off. Kaidia's fists flared with raw magical power, and she started pummeling the neko.

The poor catgirl managed to block every punch until Kai faked with a left and threw a right. The kitty's world flashed with pain, then went black.

-----------------------

Meanwhile, back at Kaidia's house:

"No! Just because she's not here doesn't mean that you're suddenly the boss, you bar whore!" Mytheria yelled at Rose. The barmaid's eye twitched but she sighed, took a breath, and held up a folded piece of parchment. "Here. She thought you'd say that." Rose replied. Myth snatched the folded paper and flipped it open. Her vibrant green eyes scanning the letter she found within, scrawled out in Kaidia's stern, strong handwriting.

Mytheria,
I assume you are going to revolt over the temporary
change of leadership in our home. Let me put
this so it is easy for you to comprehend. Rose is
in charge. Period. You obey her like you would
obey me. She has clearance to smack your
backside should you get out of line. I'll be back
soon. Behave yourself.
Kaidia

Myth's jaw went slack and she looked up at a smirking Rose. "Oh... crap." she uttered weakly. So much for getting out of those chores. "Crap, indeed. What was it you just called me by the way?" Rose asked with a smirk. "Oh uh... n-nothing, Rose." came the denial that Rose expected. The tavern girl reached out and took Mytheria by the arm, turned her around, and landed a searing swat to the seat of the redhead's pants. "To your room. We're going to have a discussion." Rose said, getting a whine in reply.

----------------------

Kaidia looked up from where she sat as her attacker groaned and woke up. The warrior gave a faint smile. She'd been pondering over what she knew of nekos, catpeople, since she'd awoken to the brisk morning. They were a strong, proud race. All of them warriors, trained in the art of combat from childhood. The women and men were equally fierce. They were quite intelligent as well and that made them twice as dangerous in a fight. They rarely used magic since the vast majority of them did not trust the arcane arts. Despite the four cuts across her left cheek, Kai had noted that this neko was weakened. Normally, besting a neko would have taken quite a bit longer. The poor thing looked like she hadn't eaten in several days. She needed food. But she'd get that after her discipline.

The catgirl found herself laying on her side on the grass, a blanket covering her against the morning chill. She noted rather quickly that her wrists were bound behind her back and her ankles were bound together. She was helpless.

"Let me go!" she demanded. "Hm? No no. I think not, kitten." came Kaidia's calm reply. "This isn't right!" the catgirl exclaimed. Instead of getting a retort in reply, she got a question. "What's your name, kitty?" the warrior asked, still quite calm. "Kitiara. Now let me go!" the neko answered.

"Not yet, Kitiara. You see, you attacked me. Unprovoked, I might add. I can't let that go unpunished." Kaidia said without a hint of humor. "Wh.. what?" Kitiara asked with a stammer. "I didn't stutter, kitten." was the warrior's reply.

Kitiara twisted her head around to look at her captor. Her golden eyes widened when she saw a pile of freshly prepared switches laying on a cloth at Kaidia's feet. "You... you're going to use all of those, are you?!" she inquired rather fearfully. Kaidia glanced down to the switches for a moment, then looked back to the neko. "I didn't cut and prepare them all just to leave some of them laying, silly. Of course I'm going to use them all." the mercenary said with a bit of a chuckle. The catgirl could only whimper pitifully in response.

Kai stood up from her bedroll and picked up her batch of switches before heading over toward Kitiara. The neko shifted nervously as she watched the warrior woman draw closer. Kai reached down and tugged the blanket off of Kit's body and smirked. "I know my hand won't have much effect on your bottom, you're too strong and resilient, being a neko and all. So we shall just use the switches throughout." she said with a bit too much cheer for the neko's tastes.

The warrior knelt and scooped up Kitiara, holding the indignant catgirl in her arms while she carried the tailed troublemaker to a fallen tree at the edge of the clearing and deposited her face down over it. "A lovely view, Kitiara." Kaidia said with a chuckle. Kitiara just blushed and remained quiet.

"We'll make the view more lovely yet." the warrior said with a little smile and reached under the neko, fingers undoing the snaps on the neko's leather shorts. Kitiara's tail was lashing back and forth in nervous agitation. Kai just smiled as the furry appendage brushed back and forth over her face. The mercenary tugged Kit's rather snug shorts and panties downward, carefully working the girl's tail out of the tailhole in both shorts and panties. She slid them down the neko's toned thighs and to her knees. "Oh my. I was right... even more lovely." Kai said with a chuckle.

Kitiara blushed brightly but kept her mouth shut. She squirmed a little but it was a pointless effort. Well, pointless in terms of escaping. The view she gave Kaidia caused the warrior to smile quite broadly.

Kai picked up the first switch and gave it a bit of a test swing, creating a swishing sound as the thin branch cut through the air. That sound made Kit's ears lay back against her hair and her whole body tense. That tail still lashed back and forth angrily. Kai caught the neko's tail and gently placed it into the palm of one of Kit's hands. "You may wish to hold onto that, kitten. I'd hate to strike it by accident." the warrior said with a small smile. Kit's fingers wrapped about the appendage, holding it away from her bottom.

"I made these switches from a gorrenwood tree. Won't they be fun?" Kai asked with a soft chuckle. "G-gorrenwood?? Are you mad?!" Kit demanded with a bit of a frantic tone to her voice. "No. I just like to make sure that the lesson sinks in." the warrior replied.

Gorrenwood was an extremely tough type of wood and required enchanted tools or raw magic to shape and work with. Kai didn't have the tools but she had such a masterful command of magic that even the mighty gorrenwood bent to her will with considerable ease.

"Ready, kitten?" Kai asked rhetorically. "No! This isn't ri- AH!" was Kitiara's abruptly interrupted reply. That switch lashing down across her bottom in mid-sentence. A thin, red stripe appeared where the switch had landed. "The first of many, kitty cat. Perhaps you'll think twice before attacking me next time." Kaidia lectured.

Once the words left her mouth, the warrior really started tearing into Kit's backside. She brought that switch down sharply, over and over, falling into a steady rhythm. Each time the switch cut through the air, it created a lovely whistling sound before the sharp snap of it landing across the neko's pert bottom or the backs of her thighs. Meanwhile, Kit was squirming over the fallen tree, yeowling, and hissing. Kai rather enjoyed the show as she laid lash after lash of that switch across the neko's flesh.

When the first switch finally snapped, Kit was panting, sweating, and whimpering. Kaidia threw the broken piece in her hand to the side, plucked up another switch, and resumed her previous rhythmic lashing of Kitiara's pert ass and the backs of those strong thighs. "I do not tolerate being attacked by people in the middle of the night. Be they humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, or even cute neko girls. Understand, Kitiara?" Kai questioned. Each word had been punctuated with a vicious stroke of the switch. On the last word the second switch broke and the warrior tossed the remnant aside.

"Y-yes!" Kit managed to choke out, her breath taken by the switching and her losing battle against the tears welling up in her golden eyes. Kai picked up a third switch and immediately ripped into the neko's rear once more, bring a fresh wave of yeowls and wails from Kit's throat. Kai remained silent, intent on her work and little else.

For the next half an hour, the sounds of Kit's punishment rang out amongst the trees. Every whistle and snap of the switches, every cry and howl of the neko, and perhaps loudest of all, the silence between one switch breaking and the next being brought down across a fiery, sore bottom to the tune of fresh, renewed yeowls of a very sorry young woman.

When the final switch snapped and Kai dropped the final broken piece, Kit had dissolved into broken, quiet sobs. Kaidia was panting softly, a fine sheen of sweat on her face as she looked down at her handiwork. The neko was solid red from the top of her bottom to nearly the backs of her knees. It was impressive in a way, to have covered so much flesh so completely in red, the stripes having all blended together, considering just how thin a switch was and how many times it had to be applied to achieve such a state.

The warrior waited a few minutes for Kit's crying to dwindle to a faint sniffling. "If I untie you, will you behave and not attack me, Kitiara?" Kai asked. Kit's head nodded. "Y.. yes." she replied softly. Kaidia reached down and unbound the neko's wrists, then ankles. She helped Kit stand, then crouched down and tugged the neko's panties and shorts up over that sore bottom, noting silently that the backs of Kit's switched thighs would be on display due to the skimpy garment. She fastened the shorts, then kissed Kit's cheek. "No more trouble from you, kitten. I won't hesitate to take you over my knee and warm your bottom again. Understand?" the warrior asked, a stern expression on her face. Kit blushed brightly and nodded. "Yes, Ma'am." she said softly with an air of newfound respect. "Good. You look hungry." Kai said with a faint smile. She got a vigorous nod in return.

---------------------------

A little while later, after proper introductions, Kai was sitting on her bed roll with Kit's head in her lap. The now happily full neko had stretched out and used the warrior's leather clad lap as a pillow. Kaidia found herself idly scratching the purring girl behind the ear.

"Where are you headed, Kitiara?" the mercenary asked. There was a moment's pause before the neko replied. "I don't know." Kit answered, sounding a bit lost. "What about you?" she asked.

"Syrinax." Kai replied. Kitiara shuddered. "Tis a foul place, Kaidia." the neko said softly. Kai nodded. "I know. That is why I am going there. To purge it of the demoness that has taken the city captive." the warrior replied. Kit curled up a bit. "That demoness is cruel. I... I was her... pet... for some time. I managed to escape a few days back. Then I came across you... and you know the rest, of course." Kit managed to say with a soft voice.

"If you're going to rid the city of her, I'm going with you." the neko said in that same, soft voice. "Are you sure?" Kaidia asked. "Yes. I want to help. I don't want another to suffer as I did. It was horrid, Kaidia." Kit responded. "Very well then. We should be packing up camp and moving along then. Kitiara nodded and stood up. She immediately set about dousing the small fire they had used to make breakfast.

Kaidia slipped a hand inside her saddle bag and plucked out a small mirror framed in ornately etched silver. She adored the little mirror, really. The elvish designs in the frame were something to be admired. She took a breath, then tapped the center of the mirror with her right index finger. "Elouth."

----------------------------

Rose was tidying up in the bedroom she supposed was now her's as much as Kaidia's since she'd fetched her things from the back room of the tavern this morning. She paused in front of the mirror on the wall, looked at it for a moment, smiled lightly, then looked away. Then her head jerked back around nearly quick enough to give her whiplash and she damn near fell over her own feet as she backed up in quite the hurry. "What in the nine hells!?" she exclaimed rather loudly.

In the mirror was the upper body and head of a snickering Kaida. "Surprise you, did I, pretty flower?" she asked, rather amused. "Not funny, Kaidia! If you were here, I would... would..." the girl trailed off, searching for an appropriate word to finish her threat. "You'd say something stupid, end up with a sore backside, and sleep on your stomach." Kaidia finished Rose's sentence with a smile. Rose just gave her lover a dirty look.

"So I see my house hasn't burned to the ground. How are you two managing on your own, dear?" Kai asked. "We're fine, Kai. Myth is a little sore and she didn't like your note." Rose responded with a faintly impish smile. "I didn't think she would. Glad I thought to write it before I left. I figured you might need it." Kai said with a nod. "Yes, thank you for that. She's outside now, picking weeds from the front yard." the barmaid reported.

"Good, good. That yard has been a mess for a long while now. Listen, I'll reach Syrinax by tonight and I'll be going about my job there in the morning. I'll contact you again when it's all said and done." Kaidia said. Rose nodded. "Be careful, Kaidia." she said softly. Kai smiled warmly. "Of course, pretty flower. And you behave." the warrior replied. She winked and then was gone from the mirror, leaving only Rose's reflection staring back at the slightly pouting girl.

------------------------------

That night, shrouded in shadow, Kai stood in the edge of the forest atop a hill overlooking the city of Syrinax. Kit crouched by the warrior's side. Kaidia could feel the evil energy in the air, drifting to her on the soft breeze. "Are you certain you want to help me now that you're back here, Kitiara?" the warrior asked softly. "Yes." was the only reply she got.

"Tomorrow, an hour before dawn, we will slip into the manor and find our quarry. When we find her, we subdue or eliminate her. Simple as that." Kai explained. "I will be ready." Kit said in response. Kai nodded, her eyes on the well lit manor that sat on a hill in the center of the city.

"Let us hope that Cortessa is not."

[roseWithThorns]

Getting better with each and every one! Loved it.

[Often123]

Kai hasn't lost a thing in this one, and I have no doubt the encounter with the demoness will be an epic one. A good tale, but now the wait for #4.

[alphabrat]

It is awesome as usual. Now where is number four?

[joedimwit]

Your stories have gotten, for me anyway, better and better with each new episode. There are a couple authors that I read everything they post here, you have been added to that list.
Now, get back to writing :taps foot impatiently:
Joe



*edit to fix speliing... Err spilleng... Err spelling.

[NovusImperatrixScorpio]

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. Keep an eye out for the fourth installment.

[Often123]

I for one will do so.

[omegareign]

I'm surprised this one doesn't have more views. It's just as good as the rest! And who doesn't love a cat girl?