Destination: Cave

Mina bowed towards Inferna. She and the young Hellcat were about to head out, being sent off by Inferna alone. Although these two had accepted Mina, none of the others truly accepted her. The two days she had been with the small group had been slow, but filled with a warmth she didn't expect from two beings so completely different from herself.

Turning away, her furry friend at her side, Mina began to trek through the forest in the direction the young Hellcat had shown to her. To her surprise, they were both silent for a good two hours before it was broken.

"Mina, do you plan on staying at the den?"

She could see a hint of sadness in her feline companions eyes.

"Honestly? No. Your mother and you, you're both so welcoming and lovely. But I'm not a Hellcat. None of the others so much as offered me a glance, although none offered me a glare either They weren't welcoming, but they weren't mean or hostile. Well... besides that one male."

There was a tiny huff from beside Mina.

"That idiot. He has been trying to be my mate, but I'm not interested! He wants to get in good with my mother, but he also wants to make me mother his kittens."

Mina smiled, but it contained no warmth.

'I can't... I can't be a mother now, can I?'

Certain realizations began to dawn on her, but they didn't wear her down.

'Eh. Apparently I liked women anyways. Not like a strictly ever wanted to give birth, but maybe being a mom would have been good for me? My boyfriend... eh. I just feel gross thinking of him as a father. Especially towards my kids.'

Mina psyched herself up, attempting to push motherhood out of her mind. The moping feline beside her was watching her paws.

"I may plan on leaving, but I'll always come back to visit. You're both so warm and kind, and it's not because of the fur!"

There was a stifled chuckle that came from beside Mina. Her usual smile brought it to a halt as she stunned the kitty.

"Ugh. Can you not do that? Jeez it's too strong."

Mina tilted her head. She still hadn't realized what was wrong. Was this on purpose?

-

A few more hours had passed, so Mina let Inferna's daughter head off to hunt for a moment while she sat back. She stared up into the trees, her eyes catching sudden movement. It descended rapidly, landing right in front of Mina. Her eyes opened widely as she stared at the half meter tall bird before her.

Using her white sword, she poked the bird a couple of times. An audible shriek from nearby caught Mina's attention. She looked up in time to see her companion dart towards her.

"Please tell me you didn't hurt her!"

Mina shook her head, confusion crossing her eyes.

'Shouldn't she be worried about my well being? Or maybe it's a long time friend?'

"Er... "she?" fell from the sky. Landed right in front of me, so I just poked it to see if it was still alive."

Mina stared at the light blue bird, it's frame definitely made for speed. It was sleek and slim, with small bolts of yellow streaked within the blue as well as surrounding it's closed eyes. It looked similar to a very large waxwing bird.

"Is she alright? I mean, that fall was incredibly high."

With a small sigh, the feline sat back on her haunches.

"She will be fine. She is strong, a member of the Silver Meteor Birds. She's a variant, like my mother. A Lightning Meteor Bird. Although unnamed, she's able to boast insane speed. For something to hit her, it must have been faster or undetected."

Mina laid out, stretching out her missing bones.

"Guess we wait here. I'd rather she be awake instead off leaving her behind. Neither of us can carry her either."

"Carry me? I'd rather fall from the sky once again, then let a sniveling human carry me!"

Mina sat up in time for the pretty bird to dash through her. she could hear a satisfied tweet come from behind her, then a confused shriek.

"Wh-what!? How?! My beak went through you, dammit! Have I been reduced to such low speeds that I can no longer fight a single human!?"

Mina looked towards the giggling cat.

"You do realize how mean it is to laugh at her?"

Shifting her gaze to the bird.

"I'm not human. You passed through my body because it isn't solid. Now, why did you fall?"

The Lightning Meteor Bird seemed to stumble, her attack pushed away as if it was nothing.

"I-I... ugh. At least berate me! Damn. I attacked you with no warning, then you just brush it off?"

"Are you sorry?"

The bird tilted her head, then nodded slowly.

"Then we are good. Now, answer. We need to know if something dangerous is lurking nearby."

"Ah."

The bird suddenly became bashful.

"I'm just hungry. I pushed my limits too far. Ehehe."

Mina could see the birds wing raise behind its head as it laughed. The flexibility made her a little confused, but she rolled with it.

Noticing a rather large pile of prey, killed and dragged here by the Hellcat, Mina pointed to it.

"You mind sharing?"

She could see the cat shake her head as she pulled the beasts she had killed towards the Meteor Bird. Seemingly out of kindness, the bird tried to shove some food towards Mina.

"Umm, no. Sorry, I can't eat stuff the way you do."

'Oh boy. Without names, it'll be hard to talk to these two. Especially if we get anyone else to join up.'

The bird seemed confused, but began to eat. Both beasts ate quickly, leaving behind nothing but the bones. They were buried quickly.

"Should we continue on?"

Mina asked her travelling partner, believing the bird would leave soon. To her surprise, the three began to travel together. Her new companion deciding to follow them as a way of apology, attempting to be a guard or something similar. It made Mina smile, suddenly stunning the bird. Both beasts shared a look before they decided to pretend they didn't see her mesmerizing beauty come to shine forth.

-

A full five hours passed as the three girls chatted among themselves. Even with the bird being added so suddenly, they all got along great. Due to her status as a variant, she was able to use small sparks to ward off predators as well, a few of the sparks streaking off in odd directions as she showed off. She was praised, although it was partly teasing.

Mina came to halt as she began to look around. She stared off in a direction that seemed random, but upon closer inspection she parted a few low hanging things of moss to discover a dark cave.

"Ah! There it is! How'd you find it Mina? I was almost certain it was further this way."

She had her paw lifted in the direction they had been headed.

"Dunno. I felt a weird tug, pulling me this way. I was confused, but I just trusted that pull. So... are we going in?"

Suddenly, a paw larger than the Hellcat's draped over the entrance. Looking up, Mina saw a rather large wolf looking down at the group. It's features were sleek, although muscle could be seen rippling from within its fur. The deep gray coat, paired with shining blue eyes almost seemed to captivate Mina.

'Her eyes... wait, her?'

Mina shook her head, then looked back at her companions. They stared up at the wolf as well, but they weren't afraid.

"Ah. We are graced with Tyber's daughter! Good to see you again."

A soft voice flowed from the wolf, much softer then Mina expected.

"I caught the scent of something that confused me. Just wanted to see what it was, and I find beasts that I know personally with a damn human."

She swiped at Mina, her massive paw passing through her. The wolf seemed bewildered.

"Every single time. Stop laughing! Jeez, not everyone can tell that I'm not human. *sigh* Do you mind if we go inside? Inferna told us that this area was War Wolf territory, but borders aren't a serious thing in this part of the forest."

The War Wolf nodded, her eyes still confused.

"I'll follow, since I'm rather confused as well as intrigued. I've never met a being that could so easily deal with my strong paws."

Mina stared, then sighed.

'They are the fluffiest paws I've ever seen. This sucks! Why can't I pet all of the cute animals!'

They all entered, confused by Mina's sudden sad face. The wolf feared it was her fault, so she attempted to leave. Mina stopped her, then led the way into the cave. The four girls looked around, the Hellcat becoming the leader as she could see in the darkness better then the rest.

Before long, they stopped once more. The cave opened up wide, revealing gleaming stones and crystals as well as what seemed to be metallic ores. Mina's jaw dropped while the beasts made themselves comfortable. They all watched Mina just stand there for a few minutes.

"This... is gonna be a hell of a power level."