The Stray Cat brought home

SOME HOURS AFTER THE AMPHITEATRE CLOSED

Prophet's Road, what a place to be! The result of rapid industrial growth, economic success, and trade boom resulting in a big inflow of wealth, people, small businesses, rodents, and crime. The signs of time were clear as day, as was the clear signs of how bustling it is during the day; soot, trash, and grime was all visible. It still remains dirtier than most parts of the city of Tsubar, and everywhere there were fences, guards, and other things around the many storage facilities that attracted the less savory side of society. The side businesses and stores of the market, on the other hand, tried their best to look clean and welcoming for anyone passing by, and signs of life still grew like lights in the dark, like plants growing out of the sidewalk, and now there were even flowers too!

Passing along the road to the storage facility owned by Racketers Sons and Co. was the giant figure draped in green, and sitting on their shoulder was a tiger demihuman. The ground would lightly shake for every step the giant took, causing light rumbles in nearby puddles and buildings, but nonetheless, they were surprisingly controlled in their steps and strength. And she was talking to the demihuman on her shoulder.

"...so she put her elbow up to try to do a falling attack on me, but I sidestepped it so she just smashed into the canvas instead, bounced off, and I slammed her to the mat easily." Hathiya recounted to Kaihua her match against the Unrelenting Gladiator, and its outcome. Hathiya shrugged after mentioning Hera's rather unceremonious defeat. "She tried. She failed miserably, but she tried and she earned my respect for her confidence."

The smell of factory exhaust lingered in the air and clung to the large brick buildings that lined one side of the streets of Prophet Road. Everywhere Kaihua looked was something new, but familiar at the same time. Fences that were built almost three times taller than himself surrounded large buildings built as wide as they were tall. Guards patrolled their respective compounds, sometimes giving him and his large companion a curious gaze, but ultimately keeping to themselves. Dirt lined the cracks and crevices of the old sidewalks, providing just enough of a home for small weeds to begin sprouting up from the ruthless conditions. This was certainly a side of Tsubar Kaihua had never seen before, having been trapped in the Overseer’s district where everything looked clean and pristine or just brand new! Things looked used here, with even the shops signs looking as though they had all been worn through the tough weather conditions of the winters. Paint was scratched, and lights were out…but there were still people doing business inside almost all of them.

This was the type of place Kaihua was more comfortable in. The dirt and grit of the place made it feel more lived in than all those office buildings and shining stores. Those new buildings reminded him too much of his previous slave master’s homes, while this place was wild and used enough that it made him feel at ease. No one looked at him with any disdain or disgust. In fact, the most he got was a curious glance or two. Here on Prophet Road, Hathiya and Kaihua weren’t the strangest pair to walk these streets.

But it wasn’t just the brand new surroundings Kaihua found himself in that made his sapphire blue eyes sparkle with wonder. The pair had a bit of a walk from the SRW facility to Hathiya’s home, so Kaihua took the opportunity to ask a bit more about Hathiya…specifically, her battles! The young tiger was interested in strength, and after being on the receiving end of the Earthshaker he figured she would have some great stories to tell. And he was pleased to be proven correct, as the Earthshaker told him about one of her most explosive fights! From facing off against an honorable gladiator, to the way Hathiya shrugged off most of her opponents attacks, only to finish things off with a definitive slam!

“Ooooh!” The tiger exclaimed in excitement, carefully balancing himself onto Hathiya’s shoulder so he didn’t accidentally poke her with his claws. “Earthshaker strong! Big strong! Other say Weird Lady only listen to you~ See why! But…why nice lady come here? Nice lady very strong, but nice. Not seem like fight, unless have to.”

Kaihua cocked his head inquisitively. Hathiya didn’t seem like an aggressive type, and the fact she knew how to fight at all was a bit of a shock considering how kind she was. Was it for fun? Kaihua couldn’t really be sure. Almost everyone he ran into either fought because they had too, or they just liked to fight.

“Nice Lady! Kaihua want another match story!” He beamed, one thought slipping into his head and pushing out the other almost immediately before it was answered.

Hathiya gave a hearty, joyous laugh as she said, "Hahaha, I'll give you another match story, all right, but to first say why here, well, I live around here. Its big and wide and I can find space for myself more easily because this place needs big spaces for big things, and I fit that bill, you see. I rented my shack here." Hathiya looked down the road, as she approached the gate. It was rather nice talking to someone about her matches (well, besides the fan club, of course) for once. She could see reactions more up and personal and it was very fun.

"And remember Kaihua, just cuz someone looks nice doesn't necessarily mean they're always gonna be kind and soft." She said this with a notably more sombre tone, and with that, her orange eyes for a short moment landed on him, staring right at him, her eyes in a half lidded look. "After all, the greatest martial arts masters knew the deadliest combat arts, yet were very nice people to talk to. It didn't mean they couldn't turn you into dust in one hit when they needed to, they were just nice to talk to and be around."

Her eyes then went back towards the gate as the booth guards scrambled to open the entryway. One of them, a gnome, did an awkward "trying to play cool" wave and point as he said, "H-hey, Hathiya! How was...today's toda-fuc- todays events- wait who's that?" his Expression became one of wonder when he noticed the tiger boy on her shoulder.

Hathiya strode by, giving him a friendly wave and a chipper voice, "Oh today was interesting! And this is my new ward! He'll be living with me from now on." The goblin blinked as a "Wha-" escaped his throat. Hathiya walked by, then continued with a different story for Kaihua.

"But see Kaihua, I don't always just fight small people, sometimes I fight a BIG one! And I've fought two big biggies. Croo-El, the nasty gator with a vicious streak a mile wide, and Daisy, the big sweet but tough hippo. Compared to Croo-El, she was almost as big as I am!"

The conversation came to a standstill however as Hathiya stopped. "Oh, we're here. Behold, your new home!"

What Kaihua would be beholden would be...an old looking store hut, nothing of particular note to it beyond that it seemed just big enough for someone as tall as Hathiya. There was a small garden next to it that still seemed to be growing, and a dumpster on the side. The storehouse itself was quite small compared to the other ones, it being clear this one was meant for nowhere near the amount of cargo the other bigger ones had, probably for quick storage of small goods. Hathiya walked up to it, and gently pushed the doors open. Inside was, about as barren as the outside looked. Some squished mattresses, a big fridge, and some crates. A bucket with a lid on top of it was on one of these boxes. It was big enough that Hathiya could call it a small room for her own scale. The hut was lit with fluorescent lights that seemed like they had dimmed over the years.

"Hmmm....I should tidy this place up tomorrow."

Kaihua’s beaming blue eyes shined bright even while the sun began to set beyond the horizon. He truly seemed eager to hear more about Hathiya’s battles, as though he thought of her as one of those martial arts masters she brought up in her example. Honestly, he didn’t know what martial arts even meant, but it sounded neat in the context of what Hathiya was saying. The deeper meaning seemed lost on him, the naive tiger only being raised to understand strength was power and that power was supposed to be displayed. The Earthshaker was different from everyone he had known up to that point, being one of the creepiest people he had ever met champion but acting nothing like the champions and great fighters he had heard of before. To have strength but hide it was alien to him, but the Earthshaker seemed to do it naturally. To his knowledge, she barely even teased opponents…let alone humiliated them like he thought champions were supposed to do!

The two would come across a compound of sorts. Just like many of the warehouses on this side of Tsubar, it had a fence larger than most beings wrapped around its perimeter to keep many unwanted visitors out. The one entrance that was clearly visible was manner by two smaller guards, a goblin like creature and something that smelled yummy. Kaihua’s pupils grew as his instincts started to kick in, but he very quickly got ahold of himself as Hathiya acted as though she knew these creatures. The tasty looking creature looked curious as to what Kaihua was, with the young tiger peering down from on top of Hathiya’s shoulder. He stayed silent, as Hathiya introduced him as her ward, the word bouncing off of Kaihua due to his limited vocabulary. He could feel his mouth start to drool, as smaller creatures like this were common to feed on in the wildlands, especially for an escaped tiger slave...but refrained from doing anything to hurt Hathiya.

Nice lady…friend…tasty, but no eat. Get friend trouble! No trouble friend!

With his silent declaration to himself, Kaihua simply swallowed the puddle of drool and adjusted himself on Hathiya’s shoulder. The Earthshaker moved ahead as the guards let her by and removed any temptation for Kaihua in the process and actually caught his attention again by beginning to tell him about her fights with giants like Croo-El and Daisy. However, his excited expression would once again hit a proverbial wall as Hathiya got distracted by their arrival at their home. Kaihua couldn’t help but feel a little dejected that the stories still weren’t coming, but he looked over the outside of her home.

While it was nowhere near the huge buildings or mansions he had seen before, he always saw those buildings through the steel bars of a cage or with the suffocating choke of a leash and collar. The small warehouse with a door that looked as though it was just big enough to allow Hathiya access wasn’t very impressive upon first glance, but Kaihua still hopped off Hathiya’s shoulder to look around. He looked around the garden to find small seedlings sprouting from the earth, carefully watered and tended from weeds and bugs. But inside was similar to the outside of the building. Aside from a few crates and appliances, there really wasn’t much inside. Mattresses, boxes, even some trash cans were all that Kaihua could see from the doorframe.

And yet, his eyes seemed curious. Even excited as his pupils grew wide upon seeing the inside of Hathiya’s home. It would take him a good few minutes before he entered past the doorway, clearly very nervous to just enter into someone's home. It was much warmer inside the house than outside, as the cool night air began to set in.

“Kaihua…s…sleep inside?” he asked, slowly taking a look around at his surroundings, and then Hathiya herself.

Hathiya walked inside, as she came up to the fridge, pulling it open to see inside. It was at this point, when she noticed that her ward wasn't with her. She then looked towards the door, surprised Kaihua hadn't walked in. When he asked if he could sleep inside, Hathiyas head jolted back.

"Why, what a silly question! Of course you can, Kaihua! This is your new home now, after all. You're welcome to walk in whenever you want!"

Hathiya closed her fridge door but not before pulling a small box of something inside out. A look on the side would show it read ",TENDER POPS" with a big "L and N" written in a stylized font.

"I kept this as for the day I potentially have a guest here. My foresight came in handy! It's a little cold though, give me one second." She walked up to one of the crates, and bent over, her trunk lightly pulled a gas stove from behind it. It had a frying pan on it. With the tender pops box in her fingers, she ripped the box open with her trunk, as the small, light brown, chunky pieces fell onto the pan making ping noises as they contacted. Hathiyas trunk fiddled with a few knobs and buttons on the stove as a flame kicked up under the pan. Hathiya observed the tender pops on top of the flame quietly, as her trunk reached down behind the crate again and produced a small bottle of oil that she poured over the pops and the pan surface.

"Just give it a small bit of time, and they'll be ready."

It seemed even with Hathiya’s assurance, Kaihua wasn’t too confident in crossing over the house’s threshold and going inside. The tiger’s ears were pulled back slightly, and he seemed to stoop down to all fours and sniff the doorway. It took him a moment, but after looking around outside and finding that the air was growing cold, he would finally walk inside. With surprising care, Kaihua closed the door so that it wouldn’t make any noise and even wondered if he should lock it. Looking up at the door, Kaihua realized that what he had just shut was actually more akin to a big garage door. The knob was far too high for him to reach without assistance, even if he tried to pounce up to get it! But even stranger was the fact that Kaihua couldn’t even find a lock!

Nice lady good fighter…maybe scare away thief? Or small guards actually good guards?

With his mind wandering, Kaihua would turn away from the big garage door to follow Hathiya into her home. Despite Her assurance, Kaihua couldn’t get comfortable thinking of this place as anything but Hathiya’s home. He was a guest, but Hathiya didn’t treat him like a guest. The Tiger’s memories of being placed in a separate room away from his master and friends lingered in the back of Kaihua’s memories…but the more Kaihua saw of this place, the more he realized there really wasn’t another room to be sent to.

A distinct sound of a moving drawer caught Kaihua’s attention as his sensitive ears perked up and focused on the noise. Hathiya was digging through what Kaihua would later learn to be a fridge, but at the moment looked like a big metal box. She would pull out a bag of…something. Kaihua’s reading ability was poor, but he recognized the L and N as something that was normally put onto food packaging. His interest in food brought him a bit closer as the Earthshaker pulled a gas stove over like it was a toy. Given her size compared to the appliance, it probably weighed as much to her.

Kaihua remained silent, but as soon as she poured the tender pops onto the cooking pan, Kaihua began sniffing at the air. He was clearly trying to smell them, but the cold actually served to hide their smell from his nose and so his curiosity went unanswered. Slowly, Kaihua would come closer as Hathiya heated up the food and began to warm the large home with the stove. His soft paws gently padded against the hardwood and concrete floor before he hopped up onto one of the crates to peek at what Hathiya was cooking.

Instantly, the smell of the gently breaded tender pops hit him like a heavenly aroma! His pupils grew large with excitement as he smelled cooked and seasoned chicken he had longed to try since his earliest memories! People around him would always feast on meals like this, but the only meat Kaihua ever got was what he could catch himself. It was either raw meat that was cold and a little better than bland, or hard grainy kibble that tasted awful! Drool noticeably began rolling out of Kaihua’s maw as he leaned down, as if ready to pounce at the pan! He was just about to jump before remembering whose house he was in! His bright blue eyes flashing over towards Hathiya, drool still drooling down his chin as his stomach let out a deep and audible growl.

“M…may Kahiua have one?! P-please?!?” the tiger almost pleaded, his stomach overriding his brain and pride for a taste of a dream he's had for years.

As the tender pops prepared and were now hot and ready, Hathiya's trunk fiddled with the gas stove's knobs and buttons again, turning off the fire. She looked at Kaihua in surprise at his question.

"One?! Why, all of these are yours!"

Hathiya's trunk lightly blew over the tender pops in controlled bursts of air, as she explained, "They're a little hot, I'll cool them down a bit so that you can eat them easily." Once she gave them a few good bursts of air, her trunk picked up the nearest tender pop, as she turned towards Kaihua.

"Open wide!" she said, before twirling the tender pop in the air, and plopping it into Kaihua's mouth.

Kaihua gulped down the drool that was pooling in his mouth, only for his maw to quickly fill right back up as Hathiya’s stove began to heat up the frozen Tender Pops! The sweet, juicy meat wrapped in flakey and crunchy coating was all Kaihua could smell as his brain went positively nutty! His eyes sparkled at the food in the pan, and his stomach wouldn’t stop growling no matter how embarrassing it was! Kaihua couldn’t even feel shame as his desire to eat was all that was on his mind. He even went so far as to politely ask Hathiya for one of the golden tenders, his speech almost slurred due to how much drool he was trying to hold back. But then Hathiya said something that almost made his heart stop.

“F…fur…me….?”

Kaihua’s eyes darted at the pan full of Tender Pops. An entire pan full of food he had dreamed about, mere inches away…and it was cooked and prepared just for him? Kaihua’s ears were pulled back once again, and he looked like he was starting to shiver despite the warmth of the oven heating up the entire home. Without much warning, and with a speed even Hathiya would struggle to match, Kaihua pounced at the Earthshaker! His arms wrapped around her neck in a tight hug as he rubbed his face against Hathiya’s cheek! A deep, rumbling purr was audible next to Hathiya’s ears as the tiger cuddled her close.

The moment lasted only a minute before Kaihua seemed to regain his composure. Slowly, he hopped down from her titan height and let Hathiya cool down the food. His face seemed bright red. Instead, he waited until Hathiya deemed them safe to eat. His pupils were large when he looked back up at Hathiya, who offered him a piece of the cooked meat. He immediately moved to take a bite, which Hathiya obliged by placing a whole chunk in his mouth! His purring was muffled by his munching, but it was clear as day how much he enjoyed it by his face  alone. The lights on the ceiling weren’t nearly as bright as Kaihua’s face as he savored the tender flavor of the Tender Pop!

“Y-Yummy! Softy taste! Crunchy Crust! Juicy!”

Kaihua’s ears wiggled in joy as he seemed to experience such rich flavors for the very first time. He chewed the Tender Pop until it was nothing but paste in his mouth, as though he was too scared to swallow it and have it be gone forever! But even then, the tiger looked happy, his smile so bright and sweet it seemed impossible to break.

Hathiya lightly jolted from the sudden surprise of Kaihua clinging to her neck and hugging her, rubbing his head on her cheek. Hathiya felt the fluffy hair on his head, and it was so soft but also messy that...she couldn't help but sit there calmly, letting the fluffiness of his head roll all along her face. Her one ear drooped over Kaihua, like a large blanket covering his head. So when he hopped off, he slipped off from under her ear, and Hathiya's eyes themselves had a very sweet glow, showing her happiness quite well in the light of the room.

After giving the tender paw into his mouth, Hathiya lightly wrapped an arm around him, and gently placed him on her lap effortlessly, as her trunk stretched out and grabbed another tender pop. "You chewed that one enough, silly. Now swallow and make way for the other one!" she said as she twirled the tender pop again, bringing it closer to Kaihua's mouth.

And there the two would be, for a while, Hathiya giving Kaihua his first true free lunch, playfully twisting and twirling them in the air with her trunk before popping them into his mouth after he had done chewing and swallowing each pop. Hathiya remained calm, but deep inside....she felt something in her heart warming up with each pop he ate. It wasn't a feeling she had felt truly before, even when Brat had been around. She wasn't sure what it was called...but it was a nice feeling.

The Tiger had been made to live in a variety of environments. From being looked away in a cage inside a beautiful dining hall, to sleeping out in the harsh winds of Gaia’s sandiest deserts to press on with his escape from his screaming former masters. He’d slept on beds of grass, pillows, dirt, and stone in a variety of weather conditions that would have made a weaker species perish. Deep down, he suspected that was why he was so much smaller than others of his kind, but he knew as much about that as any stranger might, which is not at all in most cases. He had only ever caught his first prey because of neglect, with his young body catching rats, bugs, and other household pests in order to get the protein he needed. He remembered for the longest time never having enough, and believing that there was no such thing as a full stomach. That all creatures roamed the earth forever hungry, and that was why those that had so much often gave him so little.

But here in this small makeshift home, the heat from the oven and the gentle overhead lights seemed to melt those memories away from his mind. The tight knots in his muscles that were always ready to pounce and run relaxed as the kind and caring atmosphere of Hathiya’s home began to put him at ease. He could smell more than the Tender pops now, with the sweet aroma of flowers freshly plucked from the soil of her makeshift garden and transplanted inside. The gentle smell of wet soil and roots tickled his sensitive nose as the tender pop warmed not just his mouth but his entire being. He was so engrossed in the taste of the tender that he didn’t even notice Hathiya reach down and gently pick him up off the floor and into her lap. Though, even if he did notice, it seemed he was far too preoccupied in his chewed-to-paste meal to want to fight back.

Despite what some people might have thought, Hathiya’s lap was actually rather comfortable. Her legs were warm even through her floral dress, and plenty soft enough to be comfortable sitting on. Thanks to her size, the Earthshaker’s powerful legs were better than cushions from a couch, and almost as good as a warm bed! Kaihua didn’t even notice her powerful arm wrap around his torso, gently pulling him closer to her until he could feel his back get warm from her embrace. It was a nice feeling, being embraced. So much so he accidentally swallowed his Tender Pop!

“Ah!”

Kaihua looked surprised, and immediately mourned the loss of his first delicacy. But Hathiya didn’t give him any time to fret before retrieving another Tender Pop, Kaihua’s sapphire eyes sparkling as he tracked Hathiya’s trunk that held the golden, crunchy meat above him. He innocently opened his mouth, letting Hathiya pop food into it as she wished.

If ever Kaihua had been granted a wish, it would be to freeze this moment in time. He’d never felt like this before. He was warm, but not just on the outside, but inside too! His stomach was full of the tastiest meal he had ever had, and it was fed so sweetly to him by Hathiya as she snuggled up to him without care. Kaihua continued to purr, louder than he had ever purred before in his life. Even after all of the Tender Pops were eaten, Kaihua remained atop Hathiya’s lap, almost looking drowsy as a result of his first free meal.