“Ooooh! I hate this I hate this I hate this!!” I stomped my foot and pouted. “Why me? Why this?!” Nero, who had come back into the room after they made the decision laughed at my ridiculous getup. Sieve and Riku had mocking smiles on their faces.
“Getting me ready” involved turning me into a cat. My ears and tail had been trimmed of their fur so that they were as thin as a cats. I was given special medicine that made the pupils of my eyes form into the slits like a cats, however, the medicine had a side effect. I couldn’t see very well, everything was blurry and looked closer than it appeared to be, distorting my vision and ability to walk well. The side effect would wear off, Riku said, and I hope it did so soon.
I was given “cat-like clothes” so that I would blend in more with the citizens of Nahai. The term “cat-like” meaning more revealing. The clothing consisted of a loose, dark pink colored shirt that had a sleeve that showed one of my shoulders, which I kept instinctively pulling up, and a low collar, that revealed a bit more of my chest than I would have liked. I also now wore a short, light pink skirt with slits in the sides to show more of my legs. Originally, when Sieve and Riku had presented to me the cat outfit, the shirt and skirt were the only two items, besides the boots and single glove of my own, that I was going to wear. When I saw how revealing the outfit was, I refused to wear it unless there was more added on. Sieve and Riku agreed to that, and added on a pair of dark pink leggings that stretched up to my thighs, and a single long glove of the same color. To give it more style, I also added a belt and a choker to the outfit, to accessorize a bit more. The last change in my appearance was that I had my hair up in a ponytail, instead of having my hair down like normal.
This whole getup made me feel very self-conscious and uncomfortable, and Riku emphasized this by constantly staring at me. I could only guess why he was watching me more intently, and I didn’t like it. I had to admit though, I did look like a pretty cute cat, so I couldn’t really blame Riku for looking, though I still hated being under his watch.
As for our camp, we were set up a few yards away from the border between the cats' land and the wolves' land. A round of firewood sat placed where it could be lighted when the sky darkened and the earth became colder. I could picture to myself the placements of tents gathered around a blazing fire, for when night came, and it was close to bed time. I hoped I would not be gone into the city for so long that the others would have to sleep out in the wild, not only for their sake, but for mine. I couldn’t imagine staying a night in Nahai, let alone a few hours to spy on them. I knew how important it was to the others, especially Luna, to gather information on the cats, I just didn’t understand why, and I don’t think I ever would, in my current placement.
“If it makes you feel any better, just think of it this way. If you went into the city as a wolf, you’d be killed in no time, especially without a good reason,” Sieve reasoned with me.
“But we do have a reason! So why do I have to dress up like this? And that doesn’t make me feel any better!” I yelled back at her.
“Okay, that’s enough Lee. Lets get down to business. Have the side effects of the medicine wore off yet?” Riku asked me.
“Yeah...I can see clearly now.” I answered, and then looked at him, pointing an angry finger his way, “everything!!” He blinked and blushed, getting the hint, guilty as charged.
“Then its time for you to head out,” Sieve said as she got up from where she was sitting near the dry firewood and put a hand on my shoulder. All four of us walked to the edge of camp, right at the imaginary border where the cats land started and the wolves land ended.
“See you later, take care kid,” Sieve said with an encouraging smile and a pat on my head. She then walked off to sit back down in her previous spot.
“Haha, good luck,” Luna said, laughing at me, most likely for how I appeared. She too took a seat next to Sieve. Then it was just me and Riku. He took my hands in his.
“Please don’t do anything reckless to get yourself hurt,” he said while gazing into my eyes.
“Aww, you worry too much,” I bashfully replied, smiling and blushing at him.
“Just...be careful.” His face came close to mine. We became closer and closer, our eyes closing with every inch, until-
“Come on now! No dilly-dallying!” Nero shouted as he popped up between us, forcing us apart. “You've got a job to do, so go do it!” He said as he began to push me away from Riku in the direction of the boundary.
“N-nero!” I yelled at him. He stopped pushing me as soon as we got to be at a less-than-reasonable distance away from Riku. I turned to face him. “What was that for?!” I half-shouted at him.
“Look,” he explained to me, “the sooner you leave, the more time I get to spend alone with your sister. Capiche?” I responded by glaring at him.
“Jerk..” I mumbled.
“You got it! Now...move along,” Nero replied, swishing me away with his hand. I watched him as he turned around and walked back over to camp to find a spot to sit next to Luna, who of course, wouldn’t allow him to sit near her. I sighed and turned around, looking into the sun that waited ahead of me, a different sun, but yet was still the same. I hesitantly put one foot in front of the other, beginning my trek into the outskirts of the cats' city.
