The Yamabiko-neko

Dumbstruck, she just stands there watching Hector stride away, hoping that her confusion doesn’t show on her face. When she finally gathers the courage to look Aster in the eyes, she’s met by an embarrassed grin.

“I didn’t know you were getting married. Congratulations,” she mumbles in an attempt to save face.

“Thanks, I guess.” He winces slightly. “It’s complicated. And not important right now. We should continue.”

Complicated? That could mean anything, really. Well, why wouldn’t he be engaged? He’s a nice guy, most of the time, and if going by the village girls’ reaction, some kind of nobility. He’s even rather handsome, in a rough way. Not her type though, she thinks quickly.

She’d had a foolish crush on a hot surgeon for the last year or so. Or, attraction was perhaps a better word for it. He was smart, handsome, and caring in a vague way, but he kept calling her Diana even after having been corrected several times. Not her type either, she had decided and put all thoughts of romance on hold. With her work schedule, dating was hard anyway.

Diane forces her mind back to the present, doing her best to enjoy the pretty landscape while ignoring Aster, who’s walking quietly a few steps ahead. Savory smells are coming from her backpack, from the packed lunch she carries in it. She looks up at the sun. It’s high in the sky, but it’s probably not yet noon. Not that she knows how to tell the time from the sun anyway, but her stomach’s pretty reliable and she’s not hungry yet.

The cultivated fields soon turn into wild, unkept ones. Shrubs and trees line the dwindling road, small critters scurrying about. Deep forests loom in the distance.

A shriek shatters the silence, breaking the tranquility, and both she and Aster freeze, looking to their right. Blood-curdling growls, hisses, and what sounds like breaking branches follow. Not good. Aster only hesitates for a second, looking at Diane, who nods. People might be in danger.

A few minutes’ sprint later they find that it’s not people in danger, but a pair of the most beautiful… lions…? panthers…? she’s ever seen. The big cats have snowy white, smooth fur and long, flowy double tails. Even from this distance she can see that their ears are pressed back, sharp fangs revealed in open-mouthed hisses as they do their best to hold their ground against the group of huge black bears attacking them.

“Those are Yamabiko-neko.” Aster sounds as if he can hardly believe what he’s seeing. “They live on the other side of the wall, high in the mountains.” Grimly, he draws his sword. “So do the Great Blackbears. They never venture down here.”

The huge cats are fast, but as long and sharp as their claws are, the bears’ thick fur makes it hard for them to draw blood. Not to mention that the bears have the advantage of numbers. As well as size. The feline couple is clearly struggling, and Diane holds her breath as the uneven battle continues.

Another high-pitched scream echoes through the air as a huge paw rips into the side of the largest cat. The snowy fur is stained red as it flies through the air and lands in an ungraceful heap on the ground. It does not get back up.

“No.” Diane gasps, running after Aster even as the bears close in on the now lone cat. It’s clearly getting tired, probably wounded as specks of red stain the white fur. Its movements are not as smooth as before, tails hanging low as it barely makes it out of the way of another attack. “No!” Diane screams as she draws her knife, knowing it’s no match for these giant creatures.

Something rustles in the bushes she just passed, and she freezes. Fingers tightening on the knife. It’s not a bear though. Something small, pale gray, and fluffy peeks out from the leaves, gives a pathetic squeak, then darts forward.

Oh no. It’s a baby. A baby cat. Oh no.

The kitten bounces toward its fallen parent, big ears flopping, two tails whipping back and forth as it takes a leap over the body and curls up behind it. One of the giant bears notices and breaks away from the main fight, closing in on it. The white cat turns, attempting to get to it too but is quickly overwhelmed by its remaining foes.

“Don’t touch him!” Diane screams again, speeding up, but Aster is faster. Sword in hand, he stands to block the bear’s path.

“Get the cub,” he shouts. “I’ll handle these.”

Right. She makes a beeline for the fallen cat and forces herself to slow down as she gets nearer. Sheathing the knife, she crouches on all four, trying not to scare the little one. Or, not so little. It’s about the same size as a normal adult cat, but compared to its parents, it’s tiny.

“Hey there. It’s okay. I won’t hurt you,” she coos, inching closer as a pair of huge frightened eyes meet hers.

Somewhere behind her there’s a low growl followed by a crunch and a thud. Oh no.

Oh no, oh no, oh no.

She doesn’t want to see, but she can’t help herself. The second cat is down, not moving, as is one of the bears. The one that had tried to get to the kitten.

The other three have Aster surrounded. He looks surprisingly calm, sword held low, smoothly stepping out of the way of an attack from a paw bigger than his head. Then he counters, his sword cutting deep into the thick neck of the bear, which roars, raises itself on its hind legs. Impossibly tall. It takes a final swat at Aster, which he dodges, then it turns to run, the sword still deeply embedded in its thick neck.

Diane thinks she can hear Aster swear as he reaches for his knife.

“Aster,” she screams, then swears too as the kitten startles and takes off toward the nearest tree.

“I’ll be fine!” He goes into a low croutch, the two remaining bears circling him. Even on all four paws they’re taller than he is. Diane looks between him and the small pale dot, now desperately attempting to climb the tree. She knows she’s useless in a fight, but she can’t just leave Aster to face those bears on his own. Practically unarmed.

“The cub! It’s important. Go!”

Fine. With a whispered ‘be careful,’ she turns away and moves to the tree. The kitten has made it perhaps halfway up the stem, but is struggling against the smooth bark. Then it loses its grip and, with a startled mewl, tumbles to the ground.

“Come on you,” Diane says quietly, squatting to make herself look less dangerous. And less visible to the bears. The kitten takes a hesitant step toward her, right front paw held high. “It’s okay, I can help you.”

Big amber eyes meet hers, slightly oversized ears twitch nervously before it makes up its mind. Limping, it approaches warily, eyes not leaving Diane’s face. Slowly, she reaches out, and something inside her melts as the kitten bumps its head against her outstretched hand. Purring as Diane strokes the small, silky, but trembling body. She picks it up, and it immediately scurries up to hide its face in her hair.

“Don’t worry. We’ll protect you,” she says confidently as she turns to see how Aster is doing.

He’s not there. No!

With growing horror, she sees three bears, not two, now fighting each other. Where is Aster? And had the injured bear returned? Was Aster… no, she couldn’t even think it. Sliding in behind a bush, she draws her knife. Her very inadequate knife.

The smallest bear suddenly launches itself onto the back of the largest black one. Powerful jaws bite deep into its neck, then it swings down, using its body weight. The crack as the spine breaks is unnaturally loud. Diane’s mouth feels like sandpaper. What chance does she have against something like that? It doesn’t really look like a real bear either, it… It looks like…

The world freezes as she forgets how to breathe… but no. It’s not the monster, though it looks similar. Smaller, lighter, fluffier.

Not quite a bear. Pointy, tufted ears, long tail, hind legs more cat than bear-like. Made for leaping and quick turns, as it proves by gracefully evading the paw that’s aiming for its head. The larger black bear raises itself on two legs, roaring as it pounds the air. Making itself as large and intimidating as possible. It works. Terrified, Diane sinks deeper into the bush, arms protectively around the kitten.

The cat bear, on the other hand, sees an opportunity. This time it goes for the softer part of the neck, just under the open maw. Four paws clawing at the larger creature's chest and belly as they tumble to the ground. A snarling heap of brown and black, claws and teeth. Diane raises her head. The black bear is on top, body twitching slightly as it tries to escape the deadly grip that’s suffocating it.

Whispering comforting words, fingers nervously stroking soft fur, Diane watches in horror as the bear makes an effort to get up, only to fail and fall back down, crushing the smaller creature under its massive weight. One heartbeat turns to many until the bear falls limp to the side and the more cat-like bear emerges from under it. Victorious. It takes a few steps toward her, sits on its rump, and tilts its head as it looks straight at her. Long tongue lolling out as in a grin.

It doesn’t seem threatening, but Diane remains where she is, fingers tight around the knife. Ready to make a run for it. Wishing it would just wander off so she could search for Aster. He must be lying injured somewhere close. She must find him. Quickly.

The beast gets up again, the air around it suddenly shimmering. Magic. Diane feels her mana stirring in response, but she can’t take her eyes off the creature as it shrinks, melts, changes. The glow flickers and fades, revealing a much smaller shape. 

Human. Male. Crouched down on all fours. He raises his head. Gives her a foolish smile.

Aster!