Alongside those who are sinful.

Chapter 9

For my fellow Americans, happy thanksgiving! I am thankful for my readers and everyone who has stuck around for my stories! And for those who don't celebrate, I hope you all have a great day too!"

XXX

"Heatrick." Said a small voice from beside him.

Dietrich turned his head to look at the source, being Kasma, and nodded. Kasma hesitantly pointed to his injured leg.

"I think he wants me to look at his leg." Said Dietrich. He shifted himself to where he was sitting in front of Kasma.

"He needs to feel safe and secure. We can put the aggression aside for now." Thought Dietrich. He slowly clasped his hands around Kasma's "ankle" and began to softly apply with his fingers. He moved them up, keeping that pressure up as he went in an attempt to elicit a negative reaction from Kasma.

Once he reached the bruised portion, Kasma winched and then hissed as Dietrich poked at the swelled portion. He wasn't particularly well versed in giving any type of medical aid, and therefore knew that his actions were only to serve as comfort for Kasma.

Dietrich at least knew that Kasma's physiology was out of his league because it wasn't human physiology. For all he knew, Thrask could have developed on a completely different scale when compared to Earth felines. Maybe not by much, if the amount of recognizable organs that the bandit from earlier spilled had meant anything.

Dietrich felt around the wound. He pressed all up and down it despite the protests from Kasma. He honestly wasn't certain what he should be feeling for, but he decided that since Kasma was able to run earlier and he didn't appear to be limping too harshly, he should be fine.

Dietrich patted Kasma's shoulder lightly, giving him a thumbs up and letting go of his leg. He was about to stand when Kasma grabbed the sleeve of his tunic and tugged on it.

Dietrich turned around to see that Kasma held a hand above the would.

And slowly, the furred hand began to glow a bright gold.

"By the Emperor!" Said Hiroshi. Everyone crowded Kasma as the wound began to heal. The swelling reduced rapidly and Kasma sighed in relief. Other parts of the felines body began to softly glow, and once the lights seemed to vanquish, Kasma truly looked much better than when he had arrived.

"That was magic! Like in some of the old bedtime stories my Pa would tell me when I was a kid." Said Hudson. Dietrich looked to Katya, who only had wonder in her eyes.

But Dietrich was not at all mesmerized by Kasma's display of power. Quickly, he rolled his left sleeve up, showing the rest of the group a forearm with terrible scarring and gouges.

"Kasma...use the magic." Said Dietrich. He looked expectantly at Kasma, and the felines placed his hand on Dietrich's wound. The furred hand began to glow once more yet it produced no effect on Dietrich's arm.

"There was a hope it could fix the damage of an explosion, but no expectation that it would work." Thought Dietrich. After half a minute, Kasma's hand stopped glowing and Dietrich's scars remained. He reset his sleeve and looked to the rest of the group, which had fallen silent.

"Their magic won't help us. And, maybe, it won't harm us." He said. Everyone nodded as Dietrich stood up. He offered a hand to Kasma, who accepted it and was helped up.

"Well, enough time playing with the powers beyond our abilities. I think I am going to make sure my rifle is accurate." Said Dietrich. He beckoned for Kasma to follow, alongside the rest of the group.

XXX

Dietrich had led them to a small location in which he knew would be the perfect spot to torment the village. He laid upon the ground, his 98K resting in a perfectly balanced position on a small log. Katya was to his left, with Hudson and Hiroshi behind him.