Paint brushed against the canvas. The vivid colors sparked to life a past that Bery had wanted to forget. In her fingertips, she held the memories of a life as a child.
The little girl was part of a litter of several other kittens. She could hardly remember her mother's face, but the expectant face of Bery's father was a constant in her early life.
By the time of her sixth birthday, Bery hadn't displayed any of the hunting prowess of her brothers and sisters. She had no talent with her claws. Her balance was barely better than that of human children. Even when she was presented with a bow, she couldn't pull back the string.
Her father stared down at her with his arms crossed. "You are a disgrace to Lady Kanai. For what purpose were you gifted those claws and teeth if not to hunt?"
Bery lowered her ears, and her tail drooped between her legs. She'd gotten used to hearing the same things from her brothers, sisters, and peers. However, hearing it from her own father's mouth rattled something deep inside of her. She felt an ache in her heart that she never felt before, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Yehrmin leaned down and placed a large hand on her shoulder. "Don't cry. You will look like a kitten if you show them your tears. Do you want the Kanai'ns to look at you like this forever?"
Bery shook her head, struggling desperately to fight back the tears. She sniffled. "I'm...I'm trying, father."
Yehrmin pulled back and shook his head. "You aren't trying hard enough." He pointed his sharp claw towards a Kanai'n with orange ears. The boy was her age, but he easily pulled the string of his bow taught and shot directly at the target. "This is the skill of your peers."
Bery nodded slowly.
"Your mother would frown if she saw you crying. At least if you're going to remain a kitten, you should become skilled at picking berries. Can you do that?"
"I can…"
"Good, starting tomorrow, we'll send you out of the village with the elders to collect berries."
///
Bery's father made good on his promise. The next day, she'd been sent out with the berry gatherers. Only, even these old ladies moved much too fast for the little girl to follow. It didn't take her long until she lost them completely.
She'd ended up completely alone, shrouded by forest on all sides. At first, the little girl was terrified. Strange noises echoed into her sensitive ears. However, it didn't take long for a calming sensation to wash over her.
It was as if some light had pierced through the heavens and struck her through the trees. She'd felt a serenity that she didn't know was possible. The sound of the waving branches and the nearby flow of a river calmed her mind. She steeled herself and made her way towards the river.
It didn't take her long to reach the calm current. She looked down at the water, peering at her reflection on the surface. She realized with a smile that she shared no resemblance to the man who was supposed to be her father. She had her mother's soft features, even though her face was dirty.
She washed herself in the river, cleaning all of nature's muck from her skin. Bery always wondered if Lady Kanai really hated her as everyone said.
The goddess was said to lord over nature's bounties and the beauty of the untamed wilds. It stood to reason that the natural order of things was to hunt and be hunted. Bery looked down at the claws on her fingers and the tail swaying behind her.
That must be why she gave me these things. Bery looked up to the sky as tears filled her eyes. At least she could act like a kitten when nobody could see her. She knelt to her hands and knees, her tears dripping onto the wet soil.
"Lady...Kanai...Do you really hate me?"
No answer greeted her besides the soft winds. Bery was tormented by thoughts of never wanting to be born. Why should she have to have a tail or Kanai'n genetics if all it brought with it was torment?
An elderly startled the little girl. "And why does such a little thing like yourself cry?"
Bery jumped and scrambled, falling on her rear in the end. She was greeted with a sight she hadn't expected. She'd heard of people without tails, and she'd heard her father speak ill of them. Bery gasped as she took in the grey-haired woman. A human?
The elderly woman smiled tenderly. She held a basket in her hand with several round fruits. "I don't know why you're sad, but maybe one of these will cheer you right up."
Bery reached towards the fruit offered to her hesitantly. It was inexplicable that she should trust in the offerings of a human that she just met. Moreover, it was down right heretical. From everything she'd heard of humans, they were supposed to be brutish. They were supposed to be the devils that burned down the forests to build their own empires, and worst of all, they were supposed to take kittens like Bery as slaves.
Nonetheless, she grabbed the fruit. Her stomach rumbled, and she bit down on it. Sweetness spread inside of her mouth. The soft flesh was heavenly against her tongue.
"There, there, be sure to eat it slowly. I wouldn't want you to choke on it."
The old lady sat next to Bery as if it was the most natural thing to do and bit down on a fruit of her own. "Nature sure is pretty, isn't it?"
Bery nodded, continuing to take bites of her fruit while she listened to the woman.
"Sometimes you can find things you never expected. Sometimes nature provides you with things, and sometimes it can take those things away. It's very powerful, isn't it?"
Bery had no idea what she was talking about, but she nodded anyway. There was a strange calming to the woman's voice. It made Bery wonder what her mother must have sounded like.
"Is there something that's bothering you, little one?"
"I...I can't do anything."
The woman smiled and stood on her own two feet before reaching her hand down towards the little girl. "If you can't do anything, it's because you haven't found anything that you want to do. I have an idea. Why don't you come with me? There is no need for you to do anything. There are some good people where I live. They might be able to take care of you while you figure out what you want to do."
Bery quickly grabbed onto the woman's outstretched hand with both of her hands. She had no idea why, but she felt like she should grab onto this opportunity with everything.
"I want to go...with you."
The grey-haired woman smiled and patted Bery's head. "Good girl. You will do just fine. Remember, not everything in this life is exactly as it seems." The woman pointed towards the little Bery's heart. "If you follow this thing." Then she pointed towards Bery's head. "And a little bit of this thing...Nothing could go wrong."
"My chest...and my head?"
The elderly woman giggled. "That's right. Together, those things make your gut. Do you have guts, darling? Oh, what am I saying, of course you do! You decided to follow this strange old lady after all."
///
Tears dripped from Bery's eyes. She'd completely forgotten the existence of that old lady, yet now those memories bubbled to the surface. The painting in front of her formed splendidly.
How did I forget about her?
In front of Bery, the image of a little cat girl was joined hand in hand by an elderly woman. They stared at a river, facing away from the canvas, but their faces were reflected on the surface. The bright sky hung over their heads, and the trees graced them, hanging those delectable pink fruits from their branches.
The real river outside of the window served as her reference. Twice in her life she'd been taken from misery. The first time it was suffered to her by her own tribe, and the second time it was bandits. All of the assailants had treated her as a useless kitten, trying to fit Bery to whatever image they had of her. The tribe tried making her into a huntress, and the bandits tried making her into a slave no doubt.
A voice sniffled inside of her head. "This is all very saddening to Y.U.R.I. All of this has been logged into the database."
Bery laughed, finding some sort of tranquility from the strange being living in her arm. You don't need to pretend to feel bad for me. Still, I'm surprised that Valerie has given me so much privacy in freedom. I don't feel like a prisoner at all.
"Have you given up on escaping?"
I don't know, but I'm starting to think that Lady Kanai doesn't really hate me. After all, I was saved twice.
"I know not this 'Lady Kanai', but I'm sure she doesn't hate you."
Bery smiled. Thank you.