Nen Feaster; Part 2: The Cat's Journey

Chapter 1: The Vengeful Cat

The battle was over, the ashes barely settling. The three survivors, Neferpitou, Komugi and Cheetu, were making their attempt to escape. They were hidden deep in the forest, far away from the palace. "What's the plan?" Cheetu asked.

"Well, we first need to find somewhere safe, somewhere far away from all of this. Not just for us, but for Komugi as well." Nef said. She stared at the grave they made for Eli. They did the best they could, given the circumstances. "For him, too." Nef said sadly.

"Well... there is Eli's island. They're far away from all of this, so his village should be a good place to hide out." Cheetu said.

"Are you okay with that, Komugi?" Nef asked.

"Yes." Komugi started. "If there's a chance you could save everyone, then you two need to stay safe until you can plan properly."

She wanted to see the King again. "Thank you, Komugi. Cheetu, do you know where his island is?" Nef asked.

"Not exactly, but I did find this." Cheetu said as he pulled out the map that was tucked away in Eli's journal.

"A map?" Nef asked as she took it.

"Yeah. There's an island on it that I don't recognize. It might be Eli's." Nef inspected the map and found the island Cheetu was talking about. When she and the other elites were planning on future invasions, she'd gotten a look at many maps, but none of them had this island on them.

"I've never seen this island either. This must be Eli's." Nef said. Nef folded the map then slipped it into her pocket. "Where did you find it?" Nef asked Cheetu.

"It was in Eli's journal." Cheetu said as he brought out the charred book that was once Eli's journal. "What's left of it."

"Is there anything that can be read?" Nef asked.

"I haven't tried reading it yet, but there is still plenty left. He wanted me to get it to you in case... in case he..." Cheetu couldn't say it.

"I see..." Nef said. Cheetu handed the journal over to her. She sat down and began flipping through the pages.

The earliest pages had a story. Nef skimmed it, seeing that it was a story about a warrior that hunted down a monster that harmed his people, but in the end the warrior spared the creature. "He's always been so optimistic..." Nef said with a slight laugh. She continued flipping through the pages. The early pages were mostly about events around his village, accidents, good harvests, good hunts. "His village was efficient. They'll have plenty of food to spare for us... if they take us in." Nef said.

"I'm sure they will, Nef." Komugi said.

"I hope..." She flipped through more and found the more recent pages.

Nef read the journal out loud. "It's finally happening, I finally have the opportunity to free my people from their curse, the one that's been plaguing us for years! The Wise One of my village told me that powerful creatures have taken over a country to the south. I'm packing for the journey there now. Amelia, the Wise One, warned me that they don't like humans, but I think I can get through to them!"

"God... if only he knew." Cheetu said sadly. Nef flipped through the journal and found another entry that intrigued her.

"I met a 'Chimera Ant' not long ago. Her name is Misha. She looks like a cross between a human and a brown-furred rabbit. She told me that her kind ate humans, and she tried to get them to stop, but they chased her off. She's living in the southern tundra of my island. She was showing me how to ice fish, but she fell into the frozen pond where she was set up. I was able to convince Shroud to help her by threatening my own life. He got her out in time and I was able to get her warmed up again. I stayed the night at her camp, just to make sure she was okay. She's really nice, she makes a great fish stew too! I hope I get to see her again soon. I'd really like to see her again. She's really smart too. Because of her, I know what Shroud is feeding off of. It's something called nen. It's this crazy energy that lets you do just about anything! Misha was able to control it, and it let her phase through solid objects." Nef paused to think. "Misha...?" She mumbled.