17 Forest Friends

Mina reappeared after she saw Inferna head out. She held her head in her hands, pouting softly.

'I totally shouldn't use [Coalesce] for childish things! B-but... her paws twitched! I had to do it or I'd lose my marbles! I can't resist the cute...'

While Mina beat herself up, her eyes fixed on the sleeping wolf and bird. They had both grown larger, even more pretty and quite fluffy.

'Oh boy. Charm stats... they really work wonders. I find these animal girls attractive! Ugh... just calm down. They're pretty, but that's it. I'm not aroused, I'm not in love, I'm just... unable to resist something so cute!'

Mina began to gush, watching Asahi sleep between the sleeping Fubuki's paws. A sudden realization hit her.

'Oh please tell me that my room was lit on fire! Th-the cute cat girl posters and the wolf girl figurines and oh hell... how did I not realize I liked girls sooner? It was so obvious... I went wild for cute girls, but the boys? Hehe...'

Mina crossed her legs and twiddled her fingers. The quick realizations making her face pale slightly until she heard feet heading her way.

"Feet? Not paws?"

Suddenly a girl jumped through the tree line, her arms filled with dead animals. Unaware of Mina, she arranged them so that they could be taken pretty easily. When she finally turned back, she froze. Her whole body went stiff.

Mina didn't realize, but her face was flushed red. The girl was remarkably beautiful. Her hair was shoulder length and a deep red, some strands were black as night. Her eyes were a glowing amber, set similarly to a cats eyes. Her pupils had expanded somewhat, however. Her hair held a pair of triangles, though on second look, they were a pair of feline ears. They twitched in the wind, her lips twitching as well. Mina's eyes travelled down, surprisingly enough, the girl was wearing a simple leather tunic, though her rear wasn't fully covered.

"Eheheh... I thought you were sleeping."

She scratched her head, her voice cracking due to the awkward atmosphere. Mina covered her eyes, realizing how red she must look. The heat had rushed to her face, but it took a moment to realize.

'A cat girl... she's so cute! She even has a little fang poking out! Ugh... how is this fair? I wanna touch her ears... or her tail!'

Mina's eyes locked onto the tail, though it was incredibly familiar. Her head cocked to the side.

"Inferna?"

"Hmm?"

"You're humanoid."

"Oh yes. I was meaning to tell you, but it was so quick that you vanished into your Sword Body. I didn't really get a chance. My apologies for laying my paws on it. No damage done?"

Mina tapped her jaw.

"Your paws weren't on it."

"Then why were you touching them?"

Mina waved her hands in front of her face, the redness returning.

"M-Maybe they were! I was probably too tired to remember! But uh... how about you?"

Inferna gestured to her body. Her legs were long and fit, while her body matched it wonderfully. She was about as tall as Mina, though her breasts were a bit bigger.

'Kinda jealous, but wow... she has killer wild looks! I kinda wanna feel her skin... Hush Mina! Don't lewd the cute cat girl!'

She wiped her brow, a soft light emanating from her hands. Without even batting an eye, she took one of Inferna's hands and held it in between hers. Inferna's tail swished through the air slowly, raising up a bit higher. Mina could practically hear her purring.

"Your skin is really warm."

Mina smiled, her spirit heart beating wildly in her ears.

'Thank Dyn you can't hear my heart! I still can't believe I'm reacting to a girl like this!'

"Say, Mina, do you happen to like beastkin?"

Inferna was looking away, her own cheeks a light tint of pink. One long nail scratched her cheek, giving off a shy vibe that Mina wasn't prepared for. She nodded slowly, her smile never fading.

"You look beautiful, Inferna."

"Wh-what?! I didn't mean me you dolt! I-I just meant in general!"

Even as she freaked out, Inferna gripped Mina's hand tightly. The warmth she felt only spurred her on further as she turned away again.

"I can do this for twenty minutes a day! If you can save this ability for some time within those twenty minutes... can I hold your hand again?"

A dazzling smile suddenly mesmerized Inferna. Mina was gleaming like a brilliant diamond hidden deep inside the forest.

"I'd love to! This feeling... it almost beats your cute paws!"

"My cute... paws?"

Inferna raised an eyebrow. Mina's hands lost the ability to be held, but their gazes were locked on one another.

"I'd said nothing. You hold no proof."

"Mina... were you... were you trying to pet my paws earlier?"

"Ahem. N-no. I was totally trying to get them off my sword. I err... I wanted to train a little!"

Inferna crossed her arms.

"Yet you went inside of it instead of taking it. Jeez. You can pet them, they're just paws. I have four and it's my natural form."

Mina blushed again.

"Thank you kindly..."

Her fingers pressed together as she stared at the ground.

"So why?"

"Why what?"

"Don't play coy. Why do you want to touch them?"

"Cute things are hard to resist. I can't help it... I wanna touch Fubuki's too! Just look at those massive floofy paws! Asahi is cute too, but would it be okay to ask to stroke her wings? Egh... I'm so weird, aren't I?"

Inferna began to giggle, doubling over and nearly falling.

"You're kidding me. You're so stoic and plainly kind with a smile that shines like the sun, yet you lose it for... paws? And what the hell is floofy? Do you like fluffy things that much?"

Mina pouted, vanishing back into her Sword Body.

'I won't stand for being bullied. Big mean cat... like I'll hold your hands after this!'

Mina pouted, hiding inside of her Sword Body as Inferna came up close. She was back to being a Hellcat, so she curled up around Mina and began to purr softly.

"I'm sorry Mina. I don't wish to be mean, but it was so shocking I lose control. It was... cute, finding out about your likes. My paws may not be as fluffy, or floofy, as Fubuki's... but I wouldn't mind you touching them. Your hands give off this strange and soothing warmth that I enjoy."

Mina appeared beside Inferna, her arms crossed loosely.

"Don't be mean, and I'll consider petting them. I only did it while you slept before cause I'm shy about these things around others. Cute things are my weakness."

'My boyfriend didn't even know that I would gush over cute stuff! Kat caught me a few times- wait, Kat again? How could I forget someone like that?'

Mina shook her head, trying to put her reality to the foremost.

"So, any idea what we should do now? My den isn't really comfortable after all the fighting, so what do you think?"

Mina looked back.

"We should find a place to make our own! Get stronger and evolve some more, then make evil humans stop. This can protect many, if not all, weak and good species. I know it could be a pipe dream, but I want to try. I want to make a place that's safe... a utopia for those that need a home. Like us."

Inferna nodded.

"That sounds nice, but we will definitely need to grow in strength. The nearby village isn't weak by any means, then we have the other areas with much stronger humans. *sigh* I'd like to go with your dream, but I'm afraid we have a lot of work."

"Then we work. I've already got a snake scouting the village. It'll report back when there is anything- Ah. They reported."

["Mina, it seems that the humans are planning something. From what I could make out, someone important disappeared. Should I regroup with you, or continue to scout?]

Mina paled.

"Umm... we need to move. Soon, humans may come here. The fire died down, but those are still human corpses."

["Get back here. We need to leave, quickly. As soon as you arrive, we can head out."]

Mina sent her snake scout the message, then looked over at Inferna.

"This could be a dangerous few days... if we aren't careful."

--

Thank you,

JScott!