Zergnar's point of view

Master had entered the time tree for an entire year. I couldn't even think of being trapped in a room for an entire year… He's given us the day off… I'm not sure what I should do though, I've been practicing non stop for the past few months. Even since I've boarded the ships I haven't taken a single day off… It feels kind of weird.

I take a stroll through the village. The mouse people are all nice but they are too stiff. My wives have all been hounding me about spending more time with them. I'm too busy to worry about that right now. This is actually the only break I'll get away from them where I can enjoy myself… Having as many wives as I do, it is hard to learn everything about each of them. I'll bring them all flowers but 2 of them don't like flowers. It is impossible to please them all.

I head out of town. Going into the woods I find a clearing. I really wanted to find some weird pets for me to tame. I lay down in the clearing to relax, looking up at the sky, birds fly far overhead. I fall asleep.

I wake up and open my eyes. In front of me I see a beautiful woman. What is a human doing on this island? I sit up and she continues to stare at me before speaking.

“It is dangerous to fall asleep here. You could be attacked by powerful spirits if you aren't careful.”

“Ahh… Don't worry, I'm very strong. If anything tried to attack me, I'd just beat it to death.”

“Hahaha. You're so funny. How can you beat a ghost to death.”

“I'd find a way.”

I smile at her as I brag about my strength. Once again I am drawn to her beauty. I hadn't noticed before but she has cat ears instead of normal human ears… She's as beautiful as Kite's fox pet. Maybe a younger version of her. Maybe they're related?

“Are you by chance related to the fox spirit around here?”

The smile that had crossed her face until now has disappeared. Her mood went from calm to angry in an instant. She shouts.

“You think I'm related to that ugly bitch! I'll kill you for thinking that!”

The cat girl attacks me with lightning tipped claws. I grab both of her hands but even from a distance I can feel how jolts of electricity. I kick at her but she jumps over my foot. Fine then, I'll break her hands! I put my strength into bending her hands back. Her face changed from anger to fear.

“He's very strong. With your help I could easily kill that ugly bitch.”

The second line she said was almost inaudible. It would have been if I didn't have good hearing from being a gnoll. She continues to speak.

“Stop stop stop! I surrender please to don't hurt a beautiful lady like me.”

I let go, carefully, not leaving myself open to attacks. I doubt she could kill me. If she hit me after asking me to let go. I would have no mercy on her.

“I need your help. Inside the village is a fox girl you were talking about. She won't let me in no matter how much I beg to enter.”

“Why should I help you? You've done nothing for me.”

“I could.”

She brushes her hand across my face.

“Do things for the you.”

She brushes her hand across my waist.

“That others wouldn't be able to do.”

“Do you have anything better to offer? I have plenty of sex every day and it is honestly getting to be too much trouble. I'm thinking about getting rid of some of my wives.”

The cat girl looks beyond confused. Surprised I could turn her down. My love life at home consists of my wives constantly throwing themselves at me. The three lizard women wives are constantly trying to have strong children. My three gnoll wives want to have sex when they are in heat. Even my single demon tribe wife loves to have sex…

“...Well… I don't really have anything else I can offer you… Besides my loyalty to whatever cause you support.”

“So do you want to form a partnership then?”

“Sure, as long as you help me get into the village.”

Pet tamed Bakeneko

What a weird name-.

“YOU WERE A BEAST TAMER!? SHIT! SHIT! I WASN'T GOING TO HONOR THAT AGREEMENT!”

“So why were you trying to get into the village?”

She looks down, almost as if defeated. I'm fairly sure if I forced her to with my hunter class, she would have to listen to what I asked.

“… I… I was going to… Just play a few pranks on them. Nothing serious… Maybe steal a child and hide it from them for awhile.”

“…Don't do that.”

She converts back into a cat version of herself. Still able to talk, her voice changes in tone though.

“S-sorry master… I promise not to.”

I let her crawl onto my shoulder. I'm just glad I tamed another pet. A weird one too! I'm slowly become more like Kite. I'm stopped at the village entrance by a guard.

“Halt, that is a bakeneko on your shoulder. Don't let her in, she's a trouble maker.”

“She's my new pet. If she causes trouble, I'll kill her myself.”

I hear her speak very quietly to me.

“That isn't very nice to say master.”

“It's true, don't act up while here or I'll punish you. These people are going to be our allies soon. I can't have you causing problems.”

As we walk through town, we get plenty of weird looks. My new pet seems to be enjoying it though. For someone who was going to cause trouble, she sure changed her mind quickly. I see someone walking through town I would have liked to avoid today. Nami notices me at the same time.

“Hey you, no practice today. What is that on you-.”

She reaches for her weapon as my new pet crawls behind me scared. I interrupt her.

“Easy! I tamed her, she won't be able to do anything bad right now.”

Nami slowly drops out of her ready to fight stance.

“Fine. Just watch her closely. Bakeneko are very tricky to deal with.”

I guess I shouldn't be walking around the village with her. I move towards the exit. Outside the old house on the village is a familiar person. I see Red, Kite's new pet… I feel tiny claws dig into my back from my new pet once she see's Red. I can hear anger in her voice.

“Master! With your help I can easily beat her now! Please help me!”

“Lets talk to her first…”

I feel the claws retract out of me. As I approach Red she almost senses our presence and wakes up. Yawning, it is very weird to see a fully grown woman laying in the doorway of a house. She looks at me and notices my new pet.

“Hahaha, I see you've gotten a new pet Zergnar. Be careful with her, she'll try to do bad things if you don't watch her.”

“I've been warned about her. Is there anything else I should worry about.”

“Well… She isn't very strong, if I could tame animals, I wouldn't bother with her.”

My pet hisses at her when she said that. Red only smiles and talks again.

“I'm teasing, she used to be almost as strong as me. We've had some very intense fights. I would beat her into the ground now though.”

“Hiss! I don't believe you! We've fought this month. There is no way you could have gotten that much stronger in a few weeks.”

I have to interrupt them.

“Please don't… I'm sorry I didn't even ask your name yet. What is your name.”

“My name is Nekoma.”

“Can I call you Neko for short?”

“I don't mind that.”

I feel her tail swish against my back when I asked her that.

“Fine Neko. Red isn't lying, she's been training under my master. I have no doubt if you were close to the same power before, she would easily beat you now.”

Neko looks in almost disbelief at what I just said. It can't be possible she must think. She jumps off me and turns into her human form. Moving closer to see if Red looks stronger... Neko is much shorter than Red now that I see them that close to each other. Red speaks up, encouraging her to a fight.

“If you want to fight, I'll prove my new power.”

“MASTER! GIVE ME PERMISSION TO DESTROY HER!”

“Go ahead… It isn't going to end how you want it to…”

Neko smiles at my encouragement of her fight. She unleashes her lightning claws like before. Red begins to hold two blue fireballs in her hands. Neko can see that Red's fire is stronger than before her last fight. Two skeletons, long since dead and buried pop out of the ground. They are immediately covered in a blue fire that destroys them quickly.

Neko looks beyond shocked at what just happened. I have a feeling that Red couldn't do this during their last fight. Red giggles again and then asks.

“Are you sure you want to fight me?”

Neko growls at her and charges in. Before she reaches her, Red's makes two more fireballs, they start to expand. Getting twice, then three times the size they were. Red starts to charge at Neko now. Neko is startled by how fast Red is moving. Just before they are about to reach each other, Red slams both fire orbs down into the earth. This kicks up enough dirt for me to need to cover my eyes. Neko who was much closer must have been blinded by the attack.

Red jumps into the air, catching her foot around Neko's shoulder. Landing on the ground she throws Neko with her leg, like a lever launching a boulder into the air. Neko slams hard into the ground. Red quickly moves over and pins her to the ground. The match has a clear victor. Red begins to speak now.

“I didn't have to hold back you know. I could have hit you with those orbs and scarred you forever… I've been learning a lot of things from my new master and one is when to hold your punches… I would never go all out against a weak opponent like you.”

Neko starts to cry. This confuses Red as much as it does me.

“It's not fair! The villagers look at me as if I'm some sort of menace. I've never once hurt a single one of them. I played a few pranks when I was smaller and no one trusted me after that. I just… Want to be everyone's friend again… But you wouldn't let me. I just wanted friends again but you wouldn't let me in.”

“Neko… You started a fire that burned down three houses… Of course they would be mad with you.”

“It's not my fault! How was I supposed to know that their fish oil would fall over onto a candle! I couldn't put the fire out either.”

She looks down at her hands. I just notice they are covered in burn scars… Neko continues to speak.

“Living in the mountains for years by myself… It is enough to make me want to get revenge on you for stopping me from getting in. I wanted revenge on the person who stopped me from having friends. Before the accident I looked at you like a sister... After it though all you were was my tormentor...”

Red just looks at her… What Neko had done was bad but Red didn't know she tried to stop it.

“Well… It's good that you let Zergnar tame you then. Now you can be a part of our family here. Getting stronger along the way… Anytime you want a rematch. I'm game.”

Neko just looked at both of us confused again. All Red could do was just smile. I guess Neko hadn't noticed the ships anchored off shore. I call out to her.

“Come on. Let's go home.”

She gives a quick smile as she converts back into her cat form. Crawling back onto my shoulder as we walk to the ships. I can feel her tail swishing across my back again when we get within sight of the ship. I just quietly say to her.

“Welcome to your new family Neko.”

Neko bonded with you